The warrior and the vampire
by Claidheamh Mohr
Summary: A former warrior living in the modern age makes a new friend.
1. Chapter 1

The Warrior and the Vampire

Chapter 1

I do not own Claymore

Sheila Ericcson and her friend Susana from the jazzercise class, had gone to the book signing being held at Vroman's books in Pasadena, California.

This was in celebration of the release of the latest Gothic mystery novel by Anna Karlsen.

Susana was very excited about meeting Anna Karlsen and was fervently clutching her newly purchased volume while waiting her turn at the author's display table.

Sheila was more along for the ride than anything else, following their encounter with the street toughs in Sherman Oaks where their leader had pulled a gun on the two friends and Sheila had laid them all out in a twinkling.

Susana would invite Sheila along if she felt like venturing into some of the more "interesting neighborhoods".

While Pasadena was quite tame, Sheila didn't mind going along because it got her out of the house and Susana felt safe next to her towering, blonde friend.

Susana was already nose down in her new book while waiting in line and Sheila simply looked around curiously, she had been feeling a faint sensation, one vaguely familiar and dimly remembered.

When it was Susana's turn at the table, Sheila hung back a bit and got her first real look at Anna Karlsen, popular author of Gothic romances.

She had milky skin and flaxen hair, bright blue eyes and full, ruddy lips.

Her high cheekbones, narrow chin and slightly pointed ears gave her an elvish aspect.

Her body was lean and lithe and dressed in a very gothic outfit with plenty of black lace and red ribboned details that accentuated her innate femininity, Anna Karlsen was easily the most female woman there.

Anna smiled at Susana as she approached and asked.

"How would you like me to sign this?"

Susana smiled shyly and said. "Oh, just sign it to me, Susana Basa. Bee, Ay, Ess, Ay, That's good enough!"

Anna glanced over at Sheila and paused for a long moment as their eyes met.

Sheila felt the aura of someone who was far more than human and Anna smiled slightly at her before saying.

"You're quite the image of a woman who can handle herself. You could inspire a character in a novel, one about a legendary swordswoman who fights werewolves!"

Susana grinned and suddenly blurted out before Sheila could intervene.

"Oh God yes! These guys wanted to 'play' with us in Sherman Oaks and when Sheila here said 'no'? One of them pulled out a gun and she went all 'ninja' on them and laid them out like it was nothing. If I hadn't of seen her doing it, I wouldn't have believed anyone could move so fast!"

Anna grinned at them and declared. "I like that! A woman who can kick butt! I knew you were special!"

She scribbled briefly on her note pad and signed the inside of the cover on Susana's book.

Handing the book back to a smiling Susana, Anna smiled at Sheila and handed her a business card, as Sheila took the card, Anna said.

"Call me at ten A.M. tomorrow and we'll set up a lunch, I'd love to talk to you some more, but my time here is precious and my readers will hate me for gabbing too long."

As they left the book store, Susana clutched her newly autographed book and said somewhat testily. "I can't believe you Sheila! She's a very famous author, you didn't even buy a book and she wants to have lunch with you? I don't get it."

Sheila just shrugged and replied.

"I don't know what to tell you kiddo, I just have a way with people, I guess."

Susana pouted briefly, then gleefully retorted.

"Maybe she's gay and wants your body!"

Sheila just laughed and said. "Well, I guess I'd better practice my 'sorry, I don't swing that way' speech then."

Later that evening, Sheila called her old captain, Miria.

"Hi Sheila! Are you planning to come up this week-end? Helen's already here and more are coming, with you here we could make it a three teamer on the obstacle course."

Sheila smiled to herself, with Helen there it could be an interesting week-end indeed. She replied, "Yeah, I might just do that, there is something I'd like to talk to you about though."

Miria's replied with a question. "You've met someone?"

"Nah! I wish it was that simple." replied Sheila.

"Well...What is it then?" asked Miria.

Sheila sighed and said."I think I've just met a vampire... It's been so damn long that I'm not sure, but the aura I sensed is similar."

"What?" came Miria's startled reply. "Where did you meet this vampire and when?"

"It was at a book signing at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena tonight. I went there with a friend of mine who loves this author's books, I kept sensing this vaguely familiar aura and when I met the author, our eyes locked briefly and it seemed like we knew each other." replied Sheila.

"Damn..." remarked Miria. "So what are you going to do? We never really hunted vampires, yomas, and werewolves mostly. A vampire could be reasoned with, werewolves and yomas tended to be just brutes without reasoning abilities."

"And I killed the last full blooded yoma back in the fifth or sixth century, remember? Werewolves tended to be descendants of yomas that could reproduce by biting someone." added Sheila.

Miria commented. "Don't forget the werewolves who've sworn fealty to the vampire queen, Henrietta Maria. Her Beowulf troops seem to be able to control themselves pretty well."

Sheila sighed again and said. "She gave me her business card and wants to have lunch with me, of all things. She told me to call her at ten A.M. Tomorrow."

Again, Miria asked. "What?! At ten A.M.? That's like, almost late morning. Are you sure this author is a vampire?"

"That's why I'm so puzzled. She is a contradiction of every vampire legend I've heard about. Yet I distinctly got that impression from her, I'll call her tomorrow like she asked me to and I'll see you guys this week-end to let you know what happened." Sheila said.

Miria replied, "Okay, I'll talk to you this Friday then, bye now!"

At precisely 10:00 A.M., Sheila punched the phone number on Anna's card into her handset, three rings went by and Sheila heard.

"Hello Sheila, it's so good of you to call me right on time. Punctuality, I like that in a person!" Sheila stifled her sarcastic remark and said.

"You did ask me to call you at this time, you said you wanted to set up a lunch date or something?"

"Yes, I did." replied Anna Karlsen. "I'm gonna come right out and say it. I think you're interesting and would like to get to know you better, if I may be so bold."

Sheila sighed, she had been doing a lot of that lately, and replied tersely.

"Okay, first off, I don't swing that way. I like boys, so any romantic thoughts are out of the question!"

Anna burst out laughing and replied gaily.

"I'm so sorry! Romance? Not hardly! I happen to like boys myself. I didn't mean to give you that sort of impression, I'm so embarrassed!"

Sheila thought to herself, _ "I'm gonna kill that little brat, Susana!" _ and replied a bit sheepishly.

"Well, this is embarrassing! My little friend has an overactive imagination and right now, I'm wanting to choke her. If you're still speaking to me, my lunch hour is at the usual time and this week-end is out, I'm heading up to an old friend's place and will be spending the week-end with her and some friends."

Anna replied amiably, "Okay, no harm done except a good laugh, where do you usually eat lunch? I can meet you there at say, twelve sharp?"

"There's a little Thai place near my work, I'll be there at noon." Sheila responded and gave Anna the name and address of the Thai restaurant in question.

11:55 A.M. Saw Sheila walking briskly to the Thai restaurant.

She had conned her nebbish of a supervisor into letting her leave a bit early for lunch and was wasting no time in getting there.

Today, she was wearing one of her favorite short skirted outfits and naturally, caught the eye of every functional male and a few females in the vicinity.

It was the price she paid for being a 6 foot 6 inch tall, flaxen haired, silvery gray eyed, lissome beauty.

Her wearing a miniskirt and displaying her almost impossibly long legs didn't help either.

Sheila had just sat down in a booth when she saw a slender, pale blonde wearing a big hat, sweats and running shoes approaching her, the woman stopped and smiled at her, it was Anna Karlsen.

Sheila stood up and the two shook hands, Anna smiled up at her and said.

"You seem so much taller today!"

Sheila smiled down at her and replied.

"I felt like a miniskirt today, and flats just don't go with miniskirts, it's four inch heels or nothin' I say!"

Anna just laughed and replied.

"I only doll up when I'm out whoring myself to sell books, otherwise, it's strictly practical!"

They ordered their food and were soon involved in eating and chatting away.

Sheila was a little puzzled, she wasn't getting any of the sensations she had felt the night before.

Had she been mistaken about Anna Karlsen?

She surreptitiously watched Anna put away the food she had ordered while eating only lightly herself.

Her hybrid nature tended to suppress her appetite, she and all of her sisters in arms ate like damn birds!

Anna's sudden query, "So... Just how many of you are left if I may be so bold as to ask?"

Took Sheila by surprise and she answered without thinking.

"Sixteen warriors and one awakened... Oh crap!"

Before she stopped short and frowned at Anna, then she asked her own question.

"So, how is it you can be out in broad daylight and shouldn't you be lying in some casket somewhere, right about now?"

Anna smiled at her and said gaily.

"Oh please! That is so medieval. I sleep in my bed, thank you very much."

Anna dug into her shoulder bag and pulled out a pink plastic bottle.

"SPF 70! Thank You, Coppertone! This and sunglasses, a big hat, gloves and long sleeves, lets a girl get out and smell the roses!"

Sheila was about to ask another question when Anna held up her right hand and said quietly. "Perhaps, we should continue this topic at another time? We are in public and right now, this sort of topic is fairly popular. Someone might be listening and taking it seriously."

Sheila grinned at her and replied. "Point taken, we'll have to discuss this topic later, in a more private setting."

When the check arrived, Anna took it and grinned at Sheila.

"I'll get this one! We did discuss a fantasy legend, I write fantasy novels and I can write it off as a business expense."

Sheila grinned back and replied.

"Thank you! I enjoyed the lunch even if you did include 'business' in the conversation."

She glanced at her cell phone, reached into her own shoulder bag and pulled out a pair of running sandals.

After quickly exchanging her designer shoes for the sandals, Sheila stood up again and said.

"I've got about five minutes to get back to work and three blocks to walk. Expensive designer shoes won't survive what I'm about to do."

She held out her right hand and Anna shook it, Anna smiled at her towering guest and said. "I'll have to invite you over for some dinner and a glass of wine after the week-end."

Sheila grinned at her and replied. "Sounds like a plan, call me next Monday, I've gotta run."

She stepped outside and Anna watched her step into the alley and a moment later, a brief gust of wind swooshed down the avenue.

To mortal eyes it was a gust of wind, to Anastasia's immortal eyes, she saw through the blur of Sheila's 'phantoming' and watched her dash towards her office building until the crowd swallowed her fleeting form.

Anastasia stood for a few moments and thought. _"No wonder we feared the claymores, I've never seen anyone move so fast. Thank goodness they had no reason to hunt us."_

Later that night, Anastasia looked over the letter she had written to her queen, Henrietta Maria.

"My dearest Henrietta Maria,

I was at a book signing event recently in Pasadena, California. It was purely for economic reasons, I was dressed in what is called "Gothic Lolita" clothing and vamping it up for my fans.

I can't begin to describe my surprise when I looked up and saw standing in line, a towering woman with flaxen hair and silvery gray eyes. Her eyes were not false color contacts, they were hers. I made arrangements to have lunch with her the next day, we met for lunch and it proved to be most enlightening.

Her name is Sheila Ericcson and I believe that she is the claymore warrior who killed the last full blood yoma back in the year 549 AD. Near the present day town of Wolfsberg, Romania.

She has informed me that there are sixteen surviving warriors and one of what she called an "awakened being" I'm not sure of what she meant by that term as I had not heard of it before.

Perhaps in your extensive library, there may a book or two that mentions "awakened beings".

Thus far, I have not gotten a sense of hostility from her and would prefer to remain in her good graces.

I have seen her move at speed and know that I cannot match either her strength or speed. I have invited her to my house for a dinner and some wine and hopefully, some more informative conversation.

As always, I shall keep you informed of any further developments, your majesty.

Affectionately in your service,

Anastasia "

Anastasia placed a 'charm' on the letter, slipped it inside the envelope, sealed it and placed it in the 'out' tray on her writing desk. Maria would be mailing it tomorrow when she went to the Post office.

That Saturday, Sheila parked her SUV next to the two rental cars in front of Miria's house. The door opened and Helen came out, grinning from ear to ear.

"Sheila!" she cried and the two embraced warmly.

Sheila said, "It is good to see you again... Oof!" as she felt her ribs flexing from the strength of Helen's embrace.

Separating again, Helen grinned and said.

"Miria tells me you've bumped into a vampire, is that really true? Jeeze, I haven't heard of any vampires in a long time!"

Grabbing her sword case and overnight bag from her SUV, Sheila followed Helen into Miria's house.

Inside, she saw Miria talking with Deneve and Galatea, Miria grinned at her and said cheerfully.

"You'll have to pair up with Galatea in the back bedroom, I've got a full house!"

Sheila grinned back and replied. "Gotcha! Back bedroom it is."

Sheila entered the aforementioned room and saw Galatea's great sword standing up in the sword rack that each bedroom in Miria's house had.

She placed her own massive blade alongside Galatea's historic weapon and they looked good together.

Following the sounds of Helen's raucous laughter, Sheila stepped outside onto the patio.

She saw at once what miria had meant by "full house". Helen stood with her beer mug in hand and crooked grin on her face, while Teresa and Clare sat near the crackling fire pit.

Clare as usual, was sitting quietly while Teresa was chatting amiably with Helen. Teresa's beautiful face lit up when she saw Sheila, "Sheila!" she cried and the two embraced fondly.

Sheila had been a trainee when Teresa was revived by the organization, she was the first person Teresa saw when she reawoke.

The two escaped from the organization together and later, joined the rebellion led by Miria.

Next, Sheila hugged Clare, she always felt so slight in Sheila's arms and Sheila couldn't help asking.

"Are you starving yourself again, Clare?"

Teresa just laughed and said teasingly.

"She's always been skinny, you know that! Next to you, everyone's tiny! I should be asking you,'Have you stopped growing yet?"

Sheila felt her face turning red at Teresa's jest and Helen's guffaws, Clare merely smiled.

Susana Basa was leaving her job late, she had stayed to finish up the sales proposal her boss wanted on her desk the next morning.

The parking garage was very scary, half the lights didn't work and the rest barely worked, she hated parking in it and regularly complained to the building manager, to no avail.

With a flashlight in one hand, her keys in the other and her heart in her mouth, Susana hurried to her car.

Her new shoes were making an awful racket and she briefly considered taking them off, but didn't want to stop.

She was nearing her car when suddenly, she felt rough hands grabbing her from behind, she got out an earsplitting shriek before a grimy hand clamped over her mouth.

The beam from her flashlight swept across the face of the homeless man she'd seen lurking about the area, his one good eye squinted in the glare and he growled.

"Too bad for you missy! You saw my face. I was going to just rape you some, but now, I'll have to kill you afterwards!"

His hand briefly uncovered her mouth and she begged.

"No! Please don't! Please don't kill me... Oh God...Please..." her pleas ended with another earshattering wail.

A stunning blow to her head silenced her and half in a daze, she felt his grimy hands groping and tearing at her clothing.

No one had ever touched her like this before and she felt herself being positioned for the rape to come.

She opened her mouth again and screamed for all she was worth.

"NNOOO! Oh God! Please save me!"

The parking garage seemingly darkened even more as her legs flailed, her left foot hit something yielding and Susana felt herself suddenly freed.

She heard the sounds of a scuffle and a body falling to the concrete floor.

She looked around and saw in the glare of her dropped flashlight, the body of her would be attacker and a shadow cloaked figure leaning over him.

Instinctively, she pointed her phone at it and pressed the photo button, she became drowsy and passed out.

Susana woke up when the cops arrived and found her essentially unharmed, other than torn clothing, a bruise on her face, some scratches and a very bad scare.

The tall, blonde man approached her, glanced at her I.D., showed his badge and said.

"I'm detective Driscoll, LAPD homicide. Can you tell us anything about what happened here tonight? Anything at all would be fine."

Pulling the blanket a kind soul had covered her with, tighter around herself, Susana replied in a subdued manner.

"I had worked late and I was walking to my car, when he grabbed me from behind. My flashlight went across his face and he told me he was going to... Kill me, after he finished raping me..." an involuntary shiver went up and down her body, then she continued.

"He was groping me, tearing at my clothes and had pushed me down... Everything got sort of darker, I was kicking my legs, my foot hit something and suddenly he was gone, I heard something and saw him lying over there." She gestured towards the body.

"I thought I saw something or someone leaning over him. I don't remember much after that and woke up when you guys got here."

She looked up at the tall detective and said apologetically. "I'm sorry, that's all I can remember right now."

He smiled at her and said gently. "You did just fine miss Basa, I don't think I could've done as well myself."

A mature Asian woman with an air of authority, approached them and said. "He died of what appears to be a blunt force trauma to his chest. I'll know more when I examine him at the lab."

She looked at Susana and asked her. "Do you by any chance, have martial arts training?"

Susana looked at the tall detective uncertainly and he said. "This is Doctor Chin, she is with the county medical examiners office and responded to my call. She's one of the good guys! Doctor Chin, this is Susana Basa."

The two glanced at each other and Susana saw the look that goes between people who know each other very, very well.

Susana said quietly. "I had some tae kwon do training when I was younger and I also used to watch my brother practice, but, I don't remember kicking him, at least I don't think I did."

Susana tried to stand up and yelped when she put her weight on her left foot.

With tears streaming from her eyes, Susana looked at the two and wailed. "I think my foot's broken!"

Doctor Chin squatted down and gently examined Susana's injured foot. Taking out her EMT scissors, she delicately cut off Susana's left shoe, the foot was one mass of swelling and bruising.

Doctor Chin stood up and said cooly. "Your foot is either badly sprained or broken. Would you like us to call an ambulance? It's going to start really hurting soon and driving may be very difficult."

Susana muttered in disgust. "Damn! Just what I need right now, I almost get raped and my foot got broken somehow, what's next? My car gets towed?"

Taking out her phone, she selected a number, hit speed dial and waited for Sheila to answer.

Sheila was listening to Helen talking about a popular Japanese manga fantasy tale called "Claymore" when her phone rang, at first she was going to ignore it and let it go to 'messages', then she looked at the name of her caller and saw that it was Susana.

Thinking, _ "That's odd, she knew I was going to be out of town. Something's up." _she answered the call.

"Sheila! I's me! Y'wouldn't b'lieve wha' happened! I got attacked an' th'guy's dead, the cops're 'ere an' my foot's broken an' I need a ride to th' 'ospital!"

She was talking so fast that her words all ran together and garbled her speech.

Sheila yelped hastily.

"Whoah! Slow down girl! What the hell are you talking about? Where are you?"

There was a pause and Susana spoke again.

"I need a ride to the hospital, I think I have a broken foot. I'm at work and I can't drive myself, I'll tell you all about it when you get here."

Sheila mentally calculated driving time and said.

"I can be there in about an hour and a half. Can you hang in there?"

Susana replied glumly. "I don't have much of a choice do I? I'll wait."

Sheila replied. "See ya' soon."

Sheila closed up her phone and stood up, Helen stopped her talking and asked.

"What's up? Is someone in trouble?"

Sheila replied. "A friend of mine apparently was attacked and now the guy's dead and her foot got broken somehow, the police are there and she needs a lift to the hospital. I guess she can't drive or something."

Helen grinned and asked. "How long will it take you to get there?"

Sheila replied, "I figured it'd take me an hour and a half or so. Why? Are you offering to drive?"

Helen's grin got bigger and she held up the keys to her rental car. "Sure, why not?"

After Helen started up the rented Beemer, Sheila entered the GPS coordinates for Susana's work location into the car's navigation system and made sure her seat belt was properly engaged.

Helen grinned at Sheila and said cheerfully. "Nervous? You shouldn't be, I've competed in the Paris-Dakar rally six times!"

Sheila smiled weakly at Helen and said. "I know, I've seen the videos. You're a freaking lunatic behind the wheel!"

Helen laughed and the big BMW 750i shot forward, flattening her into the lumbar support seats.

The next forty-five minutes were a blur of frightful speeds mixed in with close calls and near misses.

A truly hair raising, white knuckler of a ride.

Susana could only watch while the police conducted their investigation, occasionally she would check her phone for any messages from Sheila.

The pills given to her by the coroner seemed to help the throbbing in her left foot. She was about to check her phone again when, a large, silver BMW arrived suddenly and to Susana's surprise, Sheila opened the passenger side door and got out.

Susana blurted out in surprise."How did you get here so fast? Who's Beemer is this?"

Sheila smiled at her and said amiably "An old friend of mine drove me here. I'm gonna ask the police if you're free to go and then, we'll get your foot looked at."

Sheila walked over to the tall detective Susana had pointed out to her, he was chatting with an Asian woman in an air of deference and yet familiarity.

Sheila's aura sensing ability told her that they were intimate regularly.

The pair turned to face her as she approached, Sheila extended her hand and said. "Hello! I'm Sheila Ericcson, I'm a friend of Susana Basa's, she called me to come take her to her doctor's, about her foot?"

The tall man looked up at her, extended his own hand and said cordially.

"I'm Steve Driscoll, LAPD Homicide and this is Doctor Stephanie Chin, our medical examiner."

Sheila clasped hands with both of them briefly and Steve asked Dr. Chin.

"If you're okay with it, I'll release miss Basa to her friends. I've gotten what I needed from her and have her contact info."

Stephanie looked thoughtful, shrugged and said.

"Yeah, go ahead! If you think of anything or remember something, let us know asap, okay?"

Susana nodded affirmatively, her foot was aching and she needed a restroom.

Sheila scooped her up like she was an infant and carried her to the idling BMW, placed her in the back seat and belted her in.

Hopping in the front seat, Sheila looked back at Susana and said.

"Where to?"

Susana blurted out. "Kaiser hospital, Woodland Hills"

Sheila cried. "Crap! That's out in the valley!"

Helen quickly punched out the name on the GPS and shouted. "Got it! Hang on, we'll have you there in no time."

The BMW surged forward in a bitter cloud of burnt rubber with the tires protesting vainly.

One of the detectives assisting in the investigation commented.

"Man, that bitch is crazy!" When he realized that Dr. Chin had heard him, he hastily apologized. "Sorry Doctor."

Stephanie just shrugged and remarked. "I'm inclined to agree with you detective. I do post accident autopsies on her kind all of the time."

For the rest of her life, Susana Basa stoutly maintained that she screamed herself hoarse during that ride and that Helen had laughed the whole time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I do not own Claymore

Returning home from her feeding, Anastasia fought back the urge to retch. The would be rapist and murderer she'd fed from had very foul blood.

A lifetime of drinking, dissolution and unforgivable sins had tainted his blood almost beyond edibility.

Any other vampire wouldn't have fed from him, only her desire to keep a low profile induced her to feed from the worst dregs of human society.

She would need to haunt the local 'lover's lanes' for a month to rid her mouth of the taste; in the meantime, she rinsed out her mouth and took some antacid to settle her stomach and lay down to rest.

Anastasia replayed the attack in her mind, that girl had seemed familiar somehow. She seemed to know her from somewhere, somewhen...

_"Vroman's! I remember her from the book signing at Vroman's. She was with that big woman, that claymore named Sheila. What was her name again? Ah yes! Susana, Susana Basa."_

Picking up her phone, Anastasia pushed the little buttons until she heard a ringing.

At three rings, Sheila answered her phone.

"Yes?! Anastasia?"

Anastasia asked.

"How is she? Susana, I mean."

Sheila replied tersely.

"So you're the guardian angel? The one who rescued her. The man is dead you know, wasn't that a bit harsh?"

Anastasia countered with.

"He was the one who chose his fate, I only deep feed on murderers and serial rapists, his sins were legion."

"So, you are without sin?" retorted Sheila, "I find that interesting, coming from you!"

"I didn't call to get lectured about morality. I called because I was concerned about someone who loves my books enough to stand in a Goddamn line and wait for me to sign an autograph. It wasn't her fault that she also knows someone older than modern civilization, or that I was nearby and heard her screams, it was just pure, dumb, luck!" riposted Anastasia.

Sheila paused a moment and replied quietly.

"Susana will be fine, we brought her to her hospital and she's getting her left foot looked at because it's broken. Sorry, it's been a crazy sort of day."

Anastasia whistled softly and said.

"I saw her kick him off of her just before I got to him, he flew into the support pillar, fell to the floor and just lay there. All I did was finish him off by feeding on him, his chest was already crushed and he was dying. I didn't think she'd kicked him that hard."

Sheila said matter of factly. "Adrenaline will do that to a person, getting attacked like that must've brought on a big surge of adrenaline and her survival instincts just took over. She doesn't remember much about the attack at all."

Anastasia chuckled a bit and said quietly.

"I'm partly to blame for that, I kind of fogged her memories of the incident. I do it aspart of the healing process for assault victims I've rescued."

Sheila responded drily.

"Did you think to look at her phone? There was a picture in it of what might be you, bent over the dead man."

Anastasia's heart skipped a beat and she blurted out.

"Crap! Who else saw this besides you?"

Sheila said reassuringly.

"Not to worry, I deleted the picture and Susana doesn't remember taking it, nor did the cops think to check her phone. I'm going to have Deneve doctor up her phone so that there's no gaps in the photo folders, just in case the cops smarten up."

"Who's Deneve?" asked Anastasia.

"She's a warrior like myself and she knows how to cover our tracks very well. If you try googling us, you'll find out that we don't exist and the stories are just folk legends or fantasy tales." Replied Sheila cheerfully.

"Well, from one folk legend to another, thank you! I owe you one." said Anastasia, "You're welcome!" replied Sheila. "I'll talk to you this Monday evening. Bye now!"

Susana woke to the sounds of strenuous exercise and the scent of sea air wafting in through the bedroom window, she lay in bed blinking for a few moments.

This wasn't her bedroom, she sat up and looked around.

There were three narrow beds and three dresser drawers in the room she was in.

A wooden rack held two of the biggest swords she had ever seen, this was definitely not, her bedroom!

"Where am I?" she muttered.

As if in answer to her question, a tall, flaxen haired woman with silvery gray eyes came in the room bearing a tray with food and drink on it.

"Sheila?" Susana began, then she realized this woman was strange to her.

The woman had an almost spiritual feeling about her, like mother superior from her grade school.

Only she was beautiful almost beyond compare, the woman smiled at her and said.

"Good morning! I am Galatea, Sheila and Helen brought you here from the hospital, late last night."

Susana sat for a moment in confusion, then she remembered.

The attack, the dead man, the police, her broken foot, Sheila and that demented friend of hers, Helen and the way she drove to and from the hospital.

Susana shivered involuntarily and Galatea asked.

"Are you cold? I can get you another blanket."

Susana said hastily. "No! I'm fine, I just remembered last night that's all, it was pretty scary for me!"

Galatea smiled warmly and said. "Riding in a car with Helen driving? Yes, it can be an experience to remember. She is a pilot and a world class rally driver and seems to have trouble separating competition from commuting, I'm afraid."

Susana smiled weakly and said.

"It was more than just Helen's driving, while she's a scary driver. Getting attacked and nearly raped was the worst, and I may have killed the man who attacked me. I just don't remember if I really did it or not. It wasn't one of my better days I guess." Galatea set down the tray on the small table, turned to face her and asked.

"Do you need any help getting out of bed or to the bathroom or anything?"

Susana grinned at Galatea and reached for the crutches the hospital had given her the night before.

"I think I'll be okay, thanks anyway!" she said and slid out of the bed and hobbled off to the bathroom.

Stephanie Chin M.E. Stared at the corpse on the examination table, it was the transient they had brought in the night before.

He had attacked a little Filipina and had gotten his chest caved in when she apparently kicked him, breaking her foot.

His chest was spread wide open and the shattered breast bone and splintered ribs were obvious to even an untrained eye, the injuries had been mortal all right.

It was the loss of blood that was bothering her, where had it all gone?

His abdomen was not filled with it nor had there been significant blood spattering at the scene.

Stephanie read over the report written by her assistant, it all looked to be in order, all of the "T"s were crossed and the "I"s dotted properly.

Any other time, she would just look it over and initial her approval and away it would go, to the archives, to be forgotten.

Nobody looked into the deaths of transients with long histories of violent crimes, they weren't worth the trouble.

Taking a powerful flash light and magnifying glass, Stephanie looked over the rest of his corpse, looking for any out of place things, unexplained injuries or wounds to explain the blood loss.

The large scratches on his throat drew Stephanie's eye, were they recent? Or older injuries.

Transients led rough lives, he could have fought with another transient and gotten scratched or they could have happened during the attack.

Ms. Basa's fingernails had been broken in her efforts to fend him off and forensics had taken skin samples from under her fingernails.

Using her fingers to stretch and pull on his skin to see if any of the scratches were deeper, Stephanie noticed what appeared to be two half-healed puncture wounds slightly over 3 centimeters apart.

She straightened up suddenly and blurted out.

"No Fuckin' way!" and began laughing, "I've got you now, damnit!" she yelled exultantly. "I've got you now!"

Stephanie Chin M.E. Spent the remainder of her Saturday evening, photographing and measuring the tell-tale puncture wounds on the corpse's neck.

The copious notes and photos she took, were not included in the documents that accompanied the corpse to the crematory and then on to the police criminal archives. They were for her own personal research project, one she had been working on in secret for two years now.

Not even her long time lover, Steve Driscoll, knew of it.

Susana hobbled outside and found a chair on the patio behind Miria's rustic house. Sheila was out on the grassy area with several other blonde haired, silvery-gray eyed women.

They were engaged in hand to hand combat training and the sweat stained condition of their clothing indicated the seriousness of their efforts.

Susana couldn't help noting that all of these ladies were in superb physical condition and had amazing bodies, she felt a little self conscious of her small size compared to these amazons.

One of them blew on a whistle and they disengaged from their sparring, grabbed up their sports drinks and chatted amiably.

Sheila grinned at her and called out to her.

"Hey, Susana! How are you feeling?"

Susana called back.

"I feel fine, everything considered. Exactly, where am I?"

The woman with the whistle came over and extended her hand.

"Hello! I'm Miria and this is my home. You're out in Malibu actually. Sheila and Helen brought you here late last night."

Susana shook hands with Miria, she was struck by the feeling of strength in Miria's hand, Sheila had the same sort of hands, strong ones.

She replied,"I'm Susana and I'm feeling a bit lost right now, but, thank you for taking me in last night, it must be an inconvenience for you to have an unexpected guest like me dropping in."

Miria smiled at her and said.

"Its not a problem, in fact, your being here just might keep Helen from uprooting small trees or juggling granite boulders. So it's probably a good thing you're here."

Sheila came over and leaned over to hug Susana briefly, then she asked. "Do you need anything, squirt?"

Susana replied brightly.

"Oh, just all the years back that my life got shortened last night. Between that homeless guy attacking me and Helen's driving, I think I got scared out of about twenty years of my lifetime!"

Miria just chuckled and said.

"Helen's good for that I admit, but if it comes to getting there in a hurry, there's none better behind the wheel."

Sheila chuckled and commented.

"Don't worry, I'll be taking you home on Sunday and we'll see about retrieving your car from the parking garage."

Susana asked. "Have you seen my phone? I need to let my folks know what happened and that I'm alright aside from a broken foot."

Sheila replied. "It should be in the room with you, I think it's on the nightstand."

Sheila had noticed Deneve slipping into the house earlier, presumably to 'doctor' Susana's phone a bit.

Deneve came walking up and introduced herself.

"Susana? Hi! I'm Deneve, I've heard some good things about you." She extended her hand and the two shook hands briefly, once again, Susana noticed the feeling of great strength in Deneve's hand.

Susana leaned back and said with a grin.

"Oh? What sort of good things? I'm really curious..."

She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Sheila who was looking slightly uncomfortable and repeated herself.

"What sort of good things?"

Deneve grinned at her and said amiably, "Sheila hasn't really said much of anything really, other than that you're a pretty good sport about things and you two have been taking jazzercise classes together. Oh! And you introduced her to Filipino food."

Susana visibly relaxed and smiled at Deneve.

"I do have a question about Sheila, if I may ask."

She said. "She's so tall and big and yet, I will eat more than she does, she always takes food home when we go out to eat."

Miria chuckled and said.

"We all eat like that here, a ten year old girl can eat more than I do."

She pulled up her sweat top, revealing the long scar that marked all the survivors of the organization and said.

"This scar is from experimental surgery that was done on all of us when we were young girls in Romania. We were chosen because of our similar appearances and closeness in ages. Our stomachs were stapled so we can only eat small meals, we also received extensive martial arts training and physical conditioning. This is why we are so lean and physically fit, the drawback is that none of us can ever wear a two piece swim suit or revealing clothing. I can't tell you how many times Galatea has had to turn down job offers from modelling agencies."

Susana looked thoughtful and said.

"Sheila's never told me anything about her childhood, except that she had learned how to defend herself in an orphanage. I didn't know about the scar because I never saw it before, at least I didn't notice one when we changed after swim class."

Deneve smiled and added. "Sheila was one of the last of the children to get the surgery, by that time, they had figured out how to minimize the scarring. The communist government in Romania collapsed not long after that and we slipped away in the confusion."

Susana tried to stifle her yawning and failed miserably, she blushed and said apologetically.

"I'm so sorry! I just can't stay awake any longer, I'm going back to bed, please excuse me."

She rose to her feet and hobbled on her crutches back inside Miria's house.

The sleep inducing tea Galatea had given her at Miria's request, had worked nicely.

Sheila turned and faced her former captain and one of her top lieutenants, and remarked.

"I did not know you two could sling B.S. So effectively, you damn near had me convinced, and I was there!"

Miria grinned and said cheerfully

"You liked that, didn't you! Good B.S. Is always a mixture of truth and absolute fiction. Your small friend isn't stupid or blind, she was bound to notice our similarities and our common peculiarities, so I thought I'd just varnish the truth a bit and fend off her curiosity. I didn't expect Deneve to add her own ingredients to the mix, which I greatly appreciate."

Miria took her whistle, blew a sharp note and shouted.

"All right ladies! Nappy time's over, hit the course! We're burnin' daylight here."

The ex-warriors fell into teams of two and started out on Miria's fiendish obstacle course. Teresa and Clare, Helen and Deneve, Miria and Sheila, warriors all, soon disappeared from view. Galatea looked in on Susana, she was fast asleep.

Galatea smiled at her sleeping form and closed the door to her bedroom.

She stripped off her outer clothing and set off after the rest of the ex-warriors, her long legs propelling her rapidly.

She would soon catch the others, after all, wasn't she a former number three?

Stephanie Chin M.E. Stood in the parking garage where the transient had been killed.

She had come there on a hunch and was standing at the exact spot where the man's body was found.

Stephanie slowly took in the layout of the garage, the lighting was still pretty dim and non-existent in places.

She took her brightest flashlight, switched it on, and swept the beam in a wide arc, its brilliance eradicating the deepest shadows.

The beam reflected off an object up in a corner of the garage, it was the eye of a security camera that had been missed in the initial investigation.

So, the garage had security cameras after all, but did they work?

Stephanie opened her phone and punched number one on her speed dial list, before the third ring Steve Driscoll answered.

"Steph? Is something the matter?"

Stephanie smiled to herself and replied.

"Everything's just great, dear."

"Okay, now I'm worried, where are you and just what are you doing?" replied Steve. "Tell me where you are and I can be there in minutes."

Stephanie grinned and answered. "I'm at the parking garage where we cleaned up the dead transient who'd attacked that girl."

Steve cried. "Y'mean the one in the Rampart area?"

"Yep!" answered Stephanie.

"Don't you move one Goddamn inch from there! I'm already in my car." the line went dead.

Stephanie Chin M.E. Remained there in the parking garage, her phone set on 9-1-1 in her left hand and her right was gripping the Walther PPK .380 snuggled in her coat pocket.

Ten minutes passed by before Stephanie's thoughts were interrupted by the squealing of tires being tormented, and brilliant headlights swept across her slim form as the bulky automobile screeched to a halt and Steve Driscoll leapt out.

Stephanie released her pistol and felt Steve's muscular arms envelope her briefly just before he held her at arm's length and said gruffly.

"What are you, crazy? Are you trying to scare me?"

Stephanie smiled up at him and said lightly.

"I love you too, dear."

Steve's eyes glanced upward briefly in that forlorn, heavenward appeal for common sense universal to all couples, even if they won't admit to being one.

Steve stepped back and said.

"Okay, seriously now, why are we here?"

Stephanie grinned at her long time lover and pointed past his right shoulder.

Turning in the direction indicated, Steve saw at once, the formerly obscured security camera lens, now illuminated by Stephanie's flashlight.

"Damn! How did we miss that? D'you suppose it works?" asked Steve.

Stephanie replied. "I haven't a clue. How do you feel about 'off the record' searches?"

Steve shrugged and replied frankly. "You do know that anything we find this way, is inadmissible evidence?"

Stephanie just grinned at him and replied. "This is for a research project of mine, strictly for personal reasons."

"Well okay, since you put it like that, let's trace the cable!" replied Steve with his own boyish grin, the one that first caught Stephanie's eye so long ago.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I do not own Claymore

Anastasia gazed at the thick envelope plastered with Romanian postal stamps for several minutes before she lifted the 'charm' placed on it and opened it.

The return address was from a Henry Marian, it was a reply from her majesty, Queen Henrietta Maria.

Inside were several photo copied pages from ancient books in the queen's library, a CD and a sealed envelope with the royal watermark of Henrietta Maria embedded in the fine linen paper.

Setting the CD aside, Anastasia looked over the photocopies briefly, they were written in a nearly forgotten script, in a nearly dead language. Some of the writing appeared to be either in Latin or Wallachian, the language of Vlad Tepes 'the impaler'.

Opening the sealed envelope, Anastasia read:

"My Dearest Anastasia,

How good it was to read your last letter, I have not heard either the term "Claymore" or the names of any of the survivors, in many a year.

I find it most interesting that you would have met a survivor under such seemingly ordinary circumstances, a book signing while wearing fanciful costume! How fun!

Of course, as you no doubt already know, no sensible vampire would deliberately draw attention to themselves like that, it is simply foolish.

The hold that religion has on humanity is still too strong, although reason is slowly gaining on irrationality.

We still have a long ways to go before we dare reveal ourselves. I imagine that the surviving claymores would concur.

Although some vampire students of the occult do speculate that Joan of Arc was perhaps, a claymore who had come out of hiding.

How else would the tales of her extraordinary strength and fighting ability be explained?

I am afraid that all my researchers could find on the term "Awakened Being" is what I have included with this brief note.

Apparently, it refers to a warrior who has lost control over their inner demons and transforms into a being of dreadful aspect and frightful strength.

Perhaps, as you become more acquainted with Miss Ericcson, you'll be able to obtain the knowledge, the ancients only hinted at.

With Great Affection,

Henrietta Maria"

Anastasia looked over the photocopies once more, while she had studied Latin and Greek as part of becoming a 'proper young lady' almost two and a half centuries ago. This script was beyond her and she didn't dare take it to a university ancient languages department. Too many questions would be asked about its origin and content.

She read the brief letter once again and chuckled at the gentle lecture she received from Henrietta Maria, she knew her admonition about discretion in her case, was almost unneccessary.

Anastasia had lived apart from the relative safety of the hidden vampire realm, and the subtle intrigues of its royal court, for too long to give up her independence now. Any answers she got about the claymores would have to come from the survivors themselves.

Her only trepidation was, how to broach the subject with Sheila.

The woman had lived for millenia as had her sisters.

Their desire for secrecy greatly exceeded the vampire realm's, they had carefully erased virtually all traces of their existence, even from the realms of myth and legend.

Henrietta Maria was right, the world was not yet ready to learn about the immortals living amongst them.

To Sheila's amazement, Susana had her nose stuck in the book she had gotten autographed by Anna Karlsen, for nearly the entire drive from Miria's house in rural Malibu to the parking garage in L.A.'s Rampart district, where she handed the keys for her BMW to her brother, so he could drive it and her, back to her apartment.

Before she exited Sheila's dusty Saturn, Susana squeezed her hand and said.

"Thank you very much for helping me Friday night. I didn't know who else to call. My brother was out on a date with his girlfriend, and my parents don't drive after dark. I have to admit that I do like Helen after all, I just won't ever get in a car with her behind the wheel again!"

Sheila just smiled at her diminutive friend and said.

"You are more than welcome, dear. I can readily agree with you about not riding with Helen. She can be kinda scary at times and a little irresponsible. However, when everything is crazy? She will come through for you, even if she scares you half to death in the process."

Sheila left out the part about how Helen was quite the fighter, and had saved Sheila's ass on several occasions, she just didn't feel like explaining.

Sheila watched the taillights of Susana's BMW as they drove away, she was about leave herself when her cell phone chimed merrily.

Glancing at her view screen, Sheila saw that it was Anna Karlsen, She flipped open the phone and.

"Yes?!"

"Sheila! This is Anna Karlsen. How is Susana doing?"

Sheila responded matter of factly. "She's doing just fine, I've just dropped her off at the parking garage so she and her brother could take her car home. I was just about to leave myself when you called."

There was a brief pause, then Anna asked her.

"I live nearby, would you like to come up to my place where we can talk? I have fresh coffee and some nibblies!" Sheila glanced at the dash clock, it was barely nine P.M.

She replied amiably "Okay, how do I find you? I'm not real familiar with this area."

"Don't worry about directions, I can be at the intersection of Sunset and Virgil in about ten minutes, I'll be at the bus stop there, you can pick me up and I'll guide you." replied Anna.

Sheila said. "Okay, I'll see you there!" and closed her phone, she glanced at it for a moment and thought. _"I really ought to get one of those newer phones that come with a GPS."_

Sheila saw Anna standing at the city bus stop just like she had said, Sheila entered the parking lot and circled around behind the bus stop where she picked up Anna.

A few minutes of "Turn left here then go straight, now turn right here and go up the hill, make a hard left at the top and here we are!" later, Sheila parked her Saturn and they exited the vehicle.

Approaching the wrought iron gate, Sheila could see a large, yellow German Shepherd frantically bouncing around at the gate.

Sheila said in surprise. "You have a dog? I thought dogs were spooked by..."

Anna's suddenly raised finger shushed her, then Anna said quietly.

"Shhhh! Don't tell Goldie, she doesn't know."

And pointed at the dog, apparently named Goldie.

Sheila chuckled softly and replied."Gotcha! Mums the word."

"My housekeeper is out for the evening, I'm afraid that we'll have to rough it a bit."

Anna said apologetically, Sheila looked at her a bit skeptically and Anna quickly added.

"She's a hired helper, not a Renfield. I don't bother with them, too many issues."

"Such as?"

"Reliability for one, and then they're dependent on you forever after. I don't like the idea of one and don't want to turn anyone either." replied Anna.

"Oh." replied Sheila.

After undergoing the frenzied greeting Goldie had given her, Sheila stepped into the wonderful old house Anna lived in.

Anna stopped and gestured towards the kitchen, then said.

"Coffee and nibblies are in the kitchen and if you need the freshen up, the 'girl's room' is right down this hallway and to the left."

Sheila paused and looked around a moment or two before commenting.

"Well, there goes another long cherished myth. I'd half expected something out of a Bela Lugosi movie, y'know, all cobwebby and coated with dust, rusting hinges, the whole Universal Studios works. Your place is cleaner than mine, I'm embarrassed to admit."

Anna grinned at her and replied airily.

"Well, if it bothers you so much, I can arrange for a century or so of neglect. By then, the house ought to meet your expectations, but the nibblies will be stale and the coffee will be cold and all bitter by then."

Sheila grinned back and riposted. "Oh, don't bother dear, I dislike cold coffee intensely, unless it's iced!"

The two chuckled and entered the kitchen to talk.

Stephanie Chin M. the grainy footage from the security camera in the parking garage.

The ancient tape had been recorded and re-recorded over many times over the years, it was almost useless now.

The condition of the security camera didn't help either, the lens had a nice coating of dust on it that further degraded the images she saw.

The fact that it had even worked to begin with, had surprised her. She and Steve had simply lifted the tape, taken it to the lab and copied it.

Then they put it back before anyone started asking questions, Stephanie chuckled quietly as she thought about that, they may have been cops, but they both had a streak of larceny in them.

The best images she could get of the incident was of a kicking and screaming Susana being pushed up onto a car's hood by the transient as he tried to rape her, then the moment her leg kicked and connected with him and him flying backwards out of the frame.

Susana looked at something happening, raised her phone briefly then passed out.

Whatever it was that had happened to the transients neck, was out of the area covered by the security camera, Stephanie muttered softly.

"Damnit! Now I've got to get a look at that girl's phone and see if she did take a picture."

Steve Driscoll hastily stopped the water filling the kitchen sink, dried off his hands and snatched his cell phone from his pants pocket.

"Hello?!" he answered, then."Stephanie! What's up?" he asked.

Stephanie replied. "I hate to bug you with work related stuff on your day off, but."

Steve replied drolly. "But you are, and I'm going to forgive you for this like I always do. So, what is so important, that you just can't let it wait until tomorrow? Hmmm?"

After a pause, Stephanie asked him.

"When You arrived at the scene of that transient killing and you saw the Basa woman still unconscious. Did you happen to notice if she had her cell phone in her possession? Or was it lying on the garage floor?"

There was a pause, then Steve replied and asked his own question.

"Y'know, I didn't really look too closely at miss Basa, the dead transient kind of had my attention at the time. Can I assume that the tape we copied, didn't work out like you'd hoped?"

Stephanie replied drily.

"Yeah, you could say that, it was pretty well shot and the body was out of the frame, so I can't tell what may or may not have happened to his body. I think the girl took a picture because in the tape, I can see her looking at something, then she held up her phone briefly just before she passed out."

"Damn!" said Steve. "Well, it was worth a shot anyway. Shy of legal paperwork, I don't see how we can get a look at her phone if she doesn't voluntarily come forward."

There was another pause, then the questions Stephanie didn't want to answer, came all at once. "What is it about this killing that has you so obsessed? Is this related to those deaths you were so interested in a couple of years ago? What is this all about, anyway?"

Stephanie heaved a sigh and replied slowly. " First, promise me you won't laugh!"

"Cross my heart, hope to die." said Steve.

"The transient lost about a pint and a half of blood, which at first, I attributed to bleeding into the abdominal cavity. The problem arose when I checked his stomach and abdomen and there wasn't a significant amount of blood pooled there."

"Okay, and there wasn't a lot of blood spattering at the scene, right?" Asked Steve.

"Thank God, you pay attention. Yes! That's what's bugging me, where did his blood go?" cried Stephanie.

"Somebody took it?" Asked Steve.

"What else could it have been?" Replied Stephanie, then she lowered her voice and said. "Now here is where it gets weird. I took a very close look at some deep scratches on his neck right over the carotid artery, I found two half-healed puncture wounds spaced about 3 centimeters apart, give or take a millimeter or so."

"And this is significant, how?" asked Steve.

"It's significant because in humans, the so called incisors or fangs, are spaced about that far apart." replied Stephanie.

"Okay, your right, this is getting weird Steph. Next, you'll be telling me that a vampire or something is responsible for his death."

"I didn't say that Steve! Besides, he was already dead or dying when his blood was drained and whoever did it didn't actually take enough for it to be fatal. I'm not going crazy here, it's just that my knowledge isn't answering my questions and I don't know where to go or who to talk to."

After a few moments, Steve remarked.

"This may sound crazy and I could be completely out of line here, but here goes. Anna Karlsen, the gothic romance novelist, lives not too far from where all this is happening. I've heard that she does a lot of research for her novels and that she is quite knowledgeable about this sort of thing. I could be quite full of shit right now, but I can't help thinking she might be helpful in this."

Stephanie suddenly just laughed for a few moments and said.

"I appreciate your efforts, Steve my love, I really do, I just don't think a writer of fantasy novels is going to have the answers I want. I sure needed the laugh though, thanks! I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Yeah, talk to you tomorrow, babe." Steve closed his phone and slipped it back into his pocket.

Susana lay in her bed staring at the ceiling, pondering the events of the last few days.

They had been really crazy, the memory of her attacker made her shake and she hugged herself until she stopped, she just couldn't remember kicking him hard enough to kill him, it just didn't seem possible to her.

She had heard about people getting crazy strong from an adrenaline surge, and how else could she explain to her own satisfaction, how her left foot got broken.

He had her in the right position to deliver such a blow and she was terrified, it could have happened just like Doctor Chin had explained to her before Sheila and her lunatic friend, Helen had arrived.

Her ride in that BMW had left her speechless, Helen had driven like someone possessed and yet she didn't get ticketed or chased by the police.

Sheila's friends had turned out to be very nice and Galatea had taken very good care of her.

Susana tried to mentally replay her memories of the attack, to remember anything she might have forgotten when she first gave her statement.

The mental fog lifted slightly, and she remembered imagining that she saw someone or something, hunched over her attacker with their head pressed against his neck.

She seemed to remember pointing her phone at the stranger and pressing the photo button, she thought she remembered a slim blonde with red eyes.

Opening her phone and accessing her photo folder, Susana scrolled through the photo gallery and slowly looked at each and every photo she may have taken on that particular day.

Seeing none that matched her hazy memory, Susana shrugged, closed her phone and fell fast asleep.

The insistent chiming of her phone woke Susana at about 10:00 A.M.

Blearily, she glanced at her phone and opened it.

"Hullo?"

"Susan! Wake up sleepyhead!"

It was her annoying younger brother.

"It's me, your annoying younger brother! Mom and I came over to see if you needed any help with anything."

Too sleepy to protest, Susana pressed the entry code number on her phone and reached for her crutches.

Minutes later, her apartment was seemingly filled with concerned relatives.

Susana sat in her easy chair with a fresh cup of coffee in her hand while her mother restocked her refrigerator with home cooked Filipino food.

Her small rice cooker was out on the counter quietly doing that mysterious process called making perfect rice.

While her annoying younger brother was actually being sensitive for once, he'd brought her the coffee and was helping their mother out in the kitchen.

Her eyes fell on a couple of manga books he'd brought with him.

Susana thought, _"Is he still reading this stuff? Isn't he a little old for comic books?"_ as she reached for the one titled 'Claymore'.

She had only read a short way into the book, once she'd figured out that it was printed in Japanese fashion I.E. Right to left, when she noticed that the names of some of the warriors seemed familiar and the gigantic swords they carried looked very familiar.

In fact, she had seen two big swords out at Miria's ranch house that looked very much like the one's being depicted in the manga her brother had brought.

Was there some connection between this manga fantasy tale and the women she had met at Miria's?

They all had flaxen hair, silvery-gray eyes, they were superb athletes and they ate like birds.

Susana looked up from the manga she was reading and saw her younger brother standing there with an amused look on his face as he said. "I thought you didn't read manga, big sis or should I say, onee-chan?"

Susana grumbled amiably. "Oh shut up! Ever since you started reading that stuff, you've been trying to sneak this sort of thing into our way of talking."

He grinned at her and queried.

"Is it working yet? Big sis."

Susana held up her hand suddenly for quiet, then she held up the 'Claymore' manga and asked.

"Is this based on any real people or historical events? I mean... Is there any truth to it?"

Her brother paused for a moment and said.

"Nah! It's all just fantasy, I mean, women warriors going around with big-ass swords wearing bikini sized armor and killing yoma? It's fun to read, but I sure don't take it seriously. But hey! If you get really bored while healing up. I'll bring over all my mangas and you can read them if you'd like."

Susana grinned at her annoying younger brother and said.

"I don't think so kiddo! I've seen some of the titles you read, they tend to have magical girls with boobs galore in them, all in love with one guy who's too dense to notice. I'll stick to my Gothic romances, thank you!"

He just made a face and declared.

"Ewww, sparkly vampires suck! Bring on the bad-ass ones, the one's that will rip off your face and drain you dry."

Susana shivered involuntarily and hugged herself, her brother's face fell and he said quietly.

"Sorry Susan, I didn't mean to bring up a bad thing, I'm sorry."

She smiled at him and said. "It's okay, I'll be fine in a little while."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I do not own Claymore

Sheila was out late on a run, she had been having trouble sleeping for the last few days and thought that running for a while would tire her and then she could sleep.

Her route led partly along the old Chandler railroad tracks, they had been taken out and a combination busway, walkway and bike path had replaced them.

It was a great running path at night, she could get into her full stride and not attract too much attention by keeping up with traffic on foot.

Lost in her thoughts, Sheila almost missed the feeling of being watched by something not human.

Her instincts intruded into her thoughts and she used her aura sensing abilities... Vampire? Did she sense another vampire?

Anastasia was the only vampire she had ever met and she had seemed a very decent sort, she had fed only on murderers and other human monsters, though lately she had made a connection through a blood bank where she regularly got blood to treat her "Anemia".

Sheila slowed slightly and came to a stop, she stooped as if to tie her running shoes...There it was again!

Her human instincts urged her to flee from her stalker, but her warrior's mind overrode them, she wanted to face this intruder in her neighborhood.

She wanted a confrontation.

Footsteps softly approached, Sheila felt the attempt to 'charm' her and out of the corner of her right eye, she saw a pair of shoes stopping, she looked up and saw a man with red eyes and a smile on his pale face.

"Oh my!" he said softly, "You're a big girl, you'll be a good feeder!"

His lips parted and Sheila watched the long white fangs emerging from his gums as he came towards her crouched form.

Sheila clenched her fist and came up swinging, her first punch broke off his fangs and tore his lips to shreds, her second knocked him out cold, and so ended her first violent encounter with a vampire.

Sheila flipped open her phone and punched 'Anna,' moments later she heard Anastasia's voice. "Sheila? It's kind of late for you isn't it?"

Sheila chuckled a bit and said drily. "I just got through knocking out one of your fellow 'children of the night', I'm at Chandler bikeway and Coldwater Canyon, out in the valley, what do you want me to do with him?"

A moment later Anastasia responded.

"Ordinarily, I'd say leave him for the sun to find. But no, I want to see him, I want to impress on him that he's trespassing."

Sheila volunteered.

"I can take him to my place and lock him up till you can deal with him."

Anastasia replied. "I can come out right now and we can deal with him tonight if you'd like."

"Yeah, you might as well. I'm not gonna get any sleep after this bit of excitement, I'll see you soon."

Closing up her phone, Sheila picked up the unconscious vampire like a bundle of rags, tucked him under one arm and jogged back to her house, leaving behind two broken fangs.

Tony woke up in pain, his dry mouth ached and he had terrible headache.

His tongue tip felt the broken ends of his former fangs and when he tried to assess the bruise to his head, he discovered that he was securely bound.

Opening his bloodshot eyes, Tony looked around and saw that he was in a shuttered room and that two women were sitting quietly across from him.

He recognized the tall one, she had sucker punched him the night before.

The smaller one was new to him, although he sensed that she was his real nemesis, another vampire!

The smaller one spoke first.

"I am Anastasia Karloff and I am an elder, more importantly, this is my hunting grounds and you have been trespassing or rather, poaching."

He tested his bonds discreetly and soon realized, he was well and truly screwed, these two could do anything they wanted to him.

"Finished?" Asked Anastasia and Tony could only glare in his frustration.

"I have some questions for you to answer truthfully, don't try to lie to me. I can read your recent memories like a book, so I'll know if you are lying to me."

Tony sighed and said quietly. "I don't have any choice do I? Okay, What have I got to lose? This vampire shit sure isn't what I thought it would be. Do you have any idea what it feels like to not be able to go out in the sunlight anymore? I grew up here and loved the summer and going to the beach to scope out the girls and catch a few waves. Now? I'd burn up, it really sucks. Ask away lady, I've got nothing to hide!"

Anastasia smiled at him and replied sympathetically.

"It was almost two hundred and fifty years before I dared to see a sunrise again, not every vampire is thrilled with being undead, but that's what life has dealt us. How we deal with it is what keeps us human by not surrendering to the lusts and cravings, hanging on to what's left of our humanity, keeps us sane."

Tony looked a bit startled and he blurted out.

"You're over two-fifty? I would never have believed it before I got turned. Damn!"

Anastasia shrugged and asked him."Who turned you and how long ago was it?"

Tony closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, he said quietly.

"I met her at a party, she had this charisma and I couldn't say no to her. She came home with me and stayed about three days, it was all a blur of really wild sex and getting bitten, it didn't really hurt, y'know? It was like a pinching sensation, the last night she was with me she opened a vein on her arm and asked me to drink some of it, I was so aroused by her that I was up for any suggestion.

"She got on top of me afterwards and pinned me down. I didn't care by that point, the sex was so good. She bit me and kept sucking on my neck until I passed out after my last orgasm as a human."

Tony gazed at them and said quietly.

"I never did get her name. When I woke up again I felt really strange, it was light out and I thought "Shit! I"m late for work" I dressed really fast and went outside and was hit by the worst searing, burning pain all over my body! Every bit of exposed skin seemed to be smoking and burning all at once, I dashed back inside and it stopped at once. I tried going out again and again, each time the same shit hit me, this went on until I couldn't take it anymore. Needless to say, I lost my day job. Luckily, I found a night time warehouse job where I could be inside all of the time. This happened to me about three years ago by the way."

Tony glanced over at Sheila who had sat quietly the whole time and he asked her.

"How did you manage to get the drop on me like that? I thought I had you under my spell and you didn't seem to notice me until wham! It was the best sucker punch I ever saw, what did you hit me with and you broke my fangs, you know?"

Sheila simply answered. " I knew you were there all along, your 'charms' have no effect on me, I hit you with my fists and I intended to break your fangs.

"You should thank Anastasia here, If I hadn't met her and gotten know her a little bit, I would have just crushed you and let the sun find you."

Taken aback, Tony said anxiously.

"Damn, that's cold! Why didn't my "charms" have any affect on you and how come you're so strong?"

Sheila stood up and said to him. "Rather than explaining, I'll just show you."

She turned and left the room briefly.

Moments later, she returned with a huge, gleaming, two-handed sword in her right hand and a cantaloupe in her left.

Tony gaped and squeaked. "Holy crap! I just wanted a little blood... I wasn't going to kill you! Oh man, are you ladies gonna kill me?"

Anastasia snapped impatiently. "Oh be quiet! Man up will you? I swear, vampires these days have no stomach for unpleasantry!"

Tony closed his mouth with an audible click as his teeth clashed together.

He lay perfectly still with his eyes wide open and focused on Sheila and her huge claymore, she held up the cantaloupe and asked graciously.

"Would anyone like some fresh cut melon?"

As if on cue, Anastasia replied prettily. "Why yes! Thank you." Sheila tossed the cantaloupe up in the air and her right arm and shoulder blurred for a brief instant. The cantaloupe landed in Anastasia's outstretched hands and split into four slices. Sheila casually wiped the juices from her massive blade and said.

"What I am, is a former warrior from the organization, the people just called us claymores because of the swords we carried. For some reason a side effect of the operation that made us, is that we don't age. Our bodies continually heal themselves and so, we remain ever youthful."

Tony gulped and said. "I barely saw you move and you cut that melon to pieces, what else can you do with that blade?"

Sheila grinned at him and replied casually. "I could bring this house down around our ears or cut a car in two. I've chopped down trees and smashed boulders into pieces during battle and the blade never even got nicked or dulled."

He was about to comment when Anastasia cut in and remarked frankly.

"In short, Sheila here could chop both of us into mincemeat before we could even react and she is not even the most powerful warrior alive today, or so I'm told."

Sheila smiled and said. "Teresa is the strongest of us all, in fact she was the strongest ever. Even after she was killed, the organization kept her body preserved and when the rebellion began, they revived her in hopes that she would fight for the organization. Fortunately for us, she joined our cause."

Tony squirmed a bit and said. "I don't mean to sound ignorant, but what the hell is this 'organization' you mention, when was this rebellion and where was it?"

Sheila sighed and said quietly. "The organization existed before modern history began. It never had a name, it was just 'the organization'. The warriors like me were created by them to fight and control yomas and awakened beings, it's all very complicated really.

"We rebelled against the organization and destroyed the facility where new warriors were made, so no more could be made. The facility was near what is today Sevastopol, in the Crimea. It was submerged when the natural dam between the Mediterranean sea and the Black sea broke through back in about fifty-six hundred B.C. and flooded it under several hundred feet of water."

Anastasia commented.

"And you were there for this flood? It must have been crazy."

Sheila grinned and replied. "I missed that one actually, it happened a couple of hundred years after we split up and went our separate ways. I was up in what became Sweden at the time."

Tony finally blurted out. "Are you actually telling us that you're almost eight thousand years old? If it wasn't for the fact that I became a mythical being my own damn self, I'd be hollering "Bullshit!" loud and clear."

Anastasia chuckled and said. "I'm not really all that surprised, I know several elder vampires who are over two thousand years old, and only an idiot would ask Henrietta Maria how old she is, she is our queen by the way. Our archives have records of warriors or claymores, going back thousands of years."

Leaning the great sword against the wall, Sheila casually rolled Tony over, cut his bonds with a quick stroke of her knife, and said pleasantly.

"I'm releasing you to Anastasia, I would suggest that you two figure out how to feed you, now that your fangs are broken."

Anastasia shrugged and said. "Actually if the roots are intact, his fangs will come back in a day or so. Some vampires have been punished by having their fangs forcibly extracted, if the roots are removed, the fangs won't come back and they become 'fangless ones'. In the hidden realm, a number of vampires have elected to remove their fangs rather than forcibly feed on unwilling victims."

Tony absentmindedly rubbed his wrists, looked at Sheila and asked her. "Just how did you know I was coming? I thought I had hidden myself pretty good."

Sheila replied. "I felt your presence, some humans, vampires, yomas and werewolves all have a distinctive aura, we called it youki and all of us can sense it to varying degrees. One of us named Galatea can sense it over great distances. In fact, she can sense that I have two vampires in my house at this very moment and if my own youki signature suddenly changes drastically, she'll bring the cavalry. She is another very powerful warrior, only Teresa could defeat her in battle."

Sheila glanced at the clock and said.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I've got to clean up and go to work. You two can stay in here until it's dark."

Anastasia smiled and replied. "I appreciate that! We'll hang out here and if you don't mind, I can make arrangements for Tony here to get access to the private blood bank I get my blood from. That way he can stay where he lives and not have to risk getting seen or detected."

Tony stared at Anastasia for a moment, then asked incredulously. "You mean, you're not going to make me leave? You said I was trespassing before, what changed your mind?"

Anastasia shrugged and replied. "You were born and turned here, I moved here, to me, that does make a real difference. I am your elder due to my age, not because I made you. Make no mistake though, I will defend my territory against a trespasser, so be respectful and discreet and we'll get along just fine."

Tony grinned at her and said cheerfully. "Yes Ma'am!"

Looking thoughtful, Anastasia declared.

"I am going to have inform her majesty of your existence Tony. From what you've said, you were turned three years ago by an irresponsible female. I commend you for adapting so well. I suggest that you write a letter to our queen and introduce yourself. If you'd like, I'll help you with the letter."

Tony shrugged and asked.

"So now I'm subject to a queen? I was born an American y'know, we don't kneel to royalty."

Anastasia chuckled and replied.

"She's not so bad, as long as you acknowledge her sovereignty and don't attract the attention of the authorities . Chances are, you'll never meet her. Oh! I almost forgot, you'll have to pay a small tax now to the hidden realm."

Tony gaped briefly and blurted out.

"I gotta pay a tax? To be a vampire? You're shittin' me!"

Anastasia grinned at him and replied cheerfully. "I would never 'shit' a fellow vampire, it will all be explained to you after you've declared your existence. Welcome to immortality!"

After being buzzed in and making her way through the corridors of Susana's condo complex, Sheila gently rapped her knuckles on Susana's front door.

The door opened and Sheila stood patiently while the young Filipino male gaped at her breasts first, then looked up at her face and exclaimed. "You're taller than I imagined and prettier too!"

He stuck out his hand and said. "Hi! I'm Susan's brother Raphael, you can call me Ralph! You must be Sheila."

Sheila grinned at him, shook his hand and said. "Yes, I am. So, you're the legendary Ralph, I've heard about."

He grinned back and declared cheerfully. "I deny everything! There's not a shred of evidence against me."

Sheila smiled at him and replied drily. "Susan warned me you'd say something like that."

Ralph just laughed and remarked. "Well, I guess I can't fool you then. C'mon this way, she's in the living room."

Moments later, Sheila hugged her small friend then sat down across from her, while Susana's mother set down a glass full of iced tea for her to drink.

"So, how are you feeling? Are you climbing the walls yet?" Sheila asked her small friend, Susana shrugged and replied. "I feel just fine and to answer your second question."

Susana leaned closer and said in a stage whisper. "Get me out of here! I've climbed every wall here and I'll be starting on the ceilings next!"

Sheila laughed and said cheerfully. "Why don't you grab your purse and we'll scram outta here for awhile."

A few minutes later, they were driving into downtown L.A..

Susana had asked to go to Little Tokyo to eat some fresh ramen and browse around a bit.

Sheila had chuckled and remarked. "I don't go down there too often, none of the clothes ever come in my size and I just don't fit in some of those smaller shops."

Susana laughed and said brightly. "Yeah that's true, but the food's good and some of the shops are pretty cool. My brother comes down here all the time, he says it's for the food and the shopping, I think it's really to look at the girls!"

After eating their ramen, they went browsing, Sheila was impressed, Susana made pretty good time on her feet, even though she had a soft cast on now.

They went into a shop selling kimono's, the sales clerk took one look at Sheila's height and shrugged apologetically before saying. "We don't have anything for someone your height." then she added hopefully. "We could make one for you, if you'd like!"

Sheila simply pointed at Susana and said cheerfully, "I'm just here to keep her out of trouble. Doctor's orders Y'know."

The girl's eyes glanced at where she was pointing and noted the soft cast on Susana's left foot.

The girl smiled at Sheila and nodded knowingly, Susana then found a simple yukata she liked and bought it.

They went browsing through a couple of shops selling figurines, manga and anime related items, Sheila felt a little out of place until she spotted a manga titled "Claymore" she'd overheard Helen remarking about the title at Miria's two weeks ago, what was it she said?

Sheila stared at the volumes for a few moments until Susana remarked. "My brother reads that series, I've only read partway through the first volume."

Sheila took volume one out and read the synopsis on the back cover.

She felt a strange sense of deja vu, like she was reading her own memoirs, although they were written by someone else.

Moments later, Sheila found herself standing at the cash register holding a stack of manga volumes in her hands.

The sales clerk smiled at her and said cheerfully. "That's a cool series! There's a couple of figurines and an anime series out too, we have them in stock, would you like to see them?"

Sheila nodded her approval and soon, a couple of boxed figurines and a DVD set were placed on the counter before her.

Picking it up, she read the synopsis and again, felt as if someone had read her diary.

"Shall I add these too? Miss..."

Intruded into her thoughts and Sheila looked at the sales clerk a moment before saying.

"Oh! Yes, please. Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment there."

The clerk smiled at her and rang up the sale.

Exiting the store with a large bag in hand, Sheila was surprised to see a young woman clad in warrior's armor and bearing a huge prop sword right outside on the sidewalk.

Several people were taking photos as she posed with her blade poised in mid swing at a young man dressed as a yoma, his face gruesomely twisted by stage make-up.

Stopping short, Sheila stared at the tableaux before her, long buried memories were stirred up by the image depicted by the cosplayers.

The pair resumed their strolling until the girl's eyes met Sheila's for a moment and she did a double take, then she exclaimed.

"Wow! You could cosplay a claymore so easily. You're so tall and beautiful and your hair and eyes are perfect!"

Without missing a beat, the young man reached into his holding bag and handed each of them a flier, it was advertising a convention for fans of anime and manga coming up in a week.

Susana smiled at them and said amiably. "My brother has been talking about this for a month now, he's talked about wearing some sort of costume. If I can get Sheila here to go with me I'll think about it!"

The young woman gaped and blurted out.

"Sheila? That's your name? That is so kewl! The tallest warrior is also named Sheila, what a coinkydink! I was thinking you'd make a perfect Galatea if your hair was longer. OMG! I'd love to get a warrior costume together for you. It would be so epic!"

Slightly overwhelmed by the girl's enthusiasm, all Sheila could do was smile and nod politely and say.

"Thank you! That's very flattering. I'll think about it."

Sheila grabbed Susana's arm and muttered.

"Weren't you interested in getting something called mochi ice cream?" and all but dragged her away from the costumed duo.

Sheila ate her mochi ice cream slowly, the flavors were new to her and she was enjoying them.

Susana was nibbling at her own ice cream and reading the flier the young man had given her, glancing up from the flier she asked. "Would you be interested in seeing this convention? My brother raves about this stuff and I admit I've watched it when I was really bored. Whaddaya think?"

Sheila just grinned at her diminutive friend and replied cautiously. "Let me think about it for a day or so, I want to read this stuff I just got and maybe talk to Helen about it, before I make up my mind."

With a puzzled look on her pretty face, Susana asked. "Why Helen? What does she have to do with whether or not you go to a convention about anime?"

Sheila chuckled and replied. "She just happened to mention the "Claymore" series when I saw her out at Miria's, I forget what she said and I just want to talk to her about it. Before you go there, my tiny friend. Helen is NOT my mother or big sister and I don't need her permission or yours, for that matter. Now eat up so we can get you back home, your foot has got to be aching by now, you've been on it for hours."

Susana grinned at her and said. "Yes Ma'am!" and quickly ate up the rest of her frozen treat.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I do not own Claymore

A week later, Sheila and three of her old friends entered the giant parking structure and pulled into the first parking stall she saw.

Sheila shut off her SUV and glanced back at her passengers, in the soft light of the parking structure she saw three other pairs of silvery-gray eyes looking back at her.

Helen grinned and said cheerfully. "This oughtta be a hoot! An anime convention where we can walk around in the open and wear our old ghost costumes and no one will be the wiser."

The four of them exited the Saturn and got out their final items; prop replicas of the great blades they had carried for so long.

A friend of Helen's had made them as props for a proposed live action series called "Claymore, the legendary jouneys" the show had not gone beyond a pilot episode and the prop armor, costumes and weapons had gone into storage at her friend's warehouse.

Galatea swung her replica blade back and forth a few times and commented drily. "This doesn't have either the weight or the balance of my own sword. Fortunately, we're not likely to encounter any needs for our own swords, not here."

Helen just grinned and said."Of course they aren't the same, can you imagine a normal human female trying to swing one of our swords? It would get away from her, if she could even lift it!"

Miria chuckled and remarked. "We do forget our own strength sometimes."

Placing the replica blades into the hangers on their backs, Sheila, Miria, Galatea and Helen went through the peace bonding station then entered the vast convention center, and joined the masses waiting to enter their own blue heaven.

"Holy crap! Whatta crowd, I can see why Deneve didn't want to come with us!" Exclaimed Helen.

Galatea smiled slightly and said quietly to Sheila.

"Your vampire friend is here."

She glanced at the convention map given to her at the ticket booth, and said.

"She's in the dealer room near the artist's alley. We'll have to meet her today."

Helen looked puzzled and said in surprise.

"What the...I thought vampires had to lay up in a coffin during the day?"

Sheila grinned and replied. "That's almost exactly what my reaction was too."

Miria chuckled and remarked drily. "And we don't exist either, remember?"

All around them the sheer volume of sounds emanating from the crowd was exhilerating.

They saw small groups of costumed people posing in carefully arranged tableaux while camera wielding conventioneers committed their images to memory chips, then the group would rearrange itself for more pictures and more photos would ensue.

Galatea muttered. "Are we expected to strike a pose when cameras are pointed at us or can we just blend in like we've always done?"

Helen just laughed and retorted. "We're four hot women, we're in costume, you and Sheila would stand out anyway being so damn tall, and you're hoping nobody's gonna notice us? Gimme a friggin' break!"

Sheila's phone rang, it was Susana. "Where are you guys? My brother and I are already here and we're near the dealer's room."

Sheila glanced around briefly and replied."We're near the bottom of the big staircase, out where all the poseurs are."

"I see you guys now, we're coming down!" cried Susana and she hung up.

A few minutes later, Susana, wearing an abreviated cheer leader's outfit that accentuated her taut little body, and her camera laden brother Ralph, were greeting the four ex-warriors.

"Hey guys! How d'you like it so far?" asked Susana.

"I'm at a loss for words!" remarked Miria, Helen laughed and declared. "I think it's a riot! Where else could we dress up like this, walk around out in the open and nobody cares, in fact our costumes are pretty tame compared to some of the ones we've seen!"

Ralph grinned and held up his fancy camera. "And I've got the pictures!"

Susana elbowed him and said testily. "He's so embarrassing! No shame at all."

Ralph laughed and retorted. "This is coming from a girl who's wearing her old high school cheer leader squad outfit, no less!" then he smiled at the four and asked politely.

"Would you lovely ladies mind posing for me?"

Galatea smiled at him and he briefly stared at her before he shook his head to clear it, she had that sort of effect on men.

"Would this be alright?" She said as she slipped her prop blade out of its holder and with utter grace, went into a dramatic pose, her massive blade at the ready.

Ralph gaped until Susana cried impatiently. "Take the damn picture already!" and slugged his arm.

He obediently snapped off several more photos as the four struck poses and smiled at him, the poor guy was enthralled.

Susana just rolled her almond shaped eyes and grinned at her idiot brother.

A shrill voice cried. "OMG! You're here! OMG! This is soooo... Kewl!"

Sheila cringed as the source of the voice came rushing up to her, it was the young woman she and Susana had recently encountered in Little Tokyo.

She was part of a small group of other young women, all wearing warrior costumes and blonde wigs cut to match the warrior each was portraying.

The girl stopped short and gaped briefly then exclaimed. "Dude! You guys are amazing, not only do you look just like the ghosts, but your costumes are really good. Where did you get them?"

Helen grinned and said brightly. "These are from that TV show pilot. A friend of mine has all the props and stuff from the show in storage, I just twisted his arm a little and he let me borrow them."

The girl gushed. "That is so awesome! I made this myself, it took me almost six months to finish." She did a slow pirouette so Helen could see her handiwork.

Helen grinned at her and said cheerfully. "You did pretty good, considering how little of their armor has survived to copy."

Miria glared at Helen and was about to speak up when Ralph called out.

"Hey ladies! It's show time!" they looked around and saw that a group of camera laden people had formed up and had started snapping away.

The erstwhile leader of the faux warriors called out. "We'll do the scene in chapter xxx where the ghosts meet up with some warriors from the organization."

She spent the next few minutes arranging the scene, then asked. "Is everyone ready?" the crowd readied their cameras.

"Okay, pose!" and the entire group slipped into the scene and posed while camera flashes blinked rapidly.

Several young men emerged from the crowd, their leader had a fancy video camera and the rest were dressed as yomas with their faces all made up in mid transformation.

The tableax was quickly rearranged and once more, the cameras flashed rapidly while the whole scenario was choreographed and videoed.

It was early afternoon before they made it into the dealer's room and artist's alley.

The four of them wandered through the mass of people milling about and spending freely.

It was too crowded for serious posing and thankfully, the few times they were asked to pose, it was with a fan of the series.

Sheila led the way and the crowd parted before her as if by magic, being six foot six inches tall and in costume with a huge sword across her back, also didn't hurt either. There was a small crowd of adoring fans at the table where Anna Karlsen held court and signed books for her fans.

She was dressed in the full goth lolita ensemble.

The black satin top and skirt, the black lace corset and red ribbon details really emphasizing her pale skin, ruddy lips and flaxen hair.

Completing this was a tiny bowler hat tilted at a jaunty angle, perched atop her head.

As they approached, she was chatting amiably with a fan as she signed her book and handed it back to her.

The girl smiled, bowed slightly and clasped the book to her red lace clad bosom before scurrying away.

Anna's pleasant smile broadened into a cry of delight as she realized that Sheila was approaching her.

"Sheila? You're in costume? What a surprise!" Her bright blue eyes glanced across the faces of Miria, Helen and Galatea, and she quickly added."And you've brought your friends, how lovely!"

Anna stood, extended her lace gloved hand and said. "I'm Anastasia, and you are?"

"Miria, pleased to meet you."

"Helen, it's a pleasure."

"Galatea, we would have met you sooner, but for the crowd."

Anna chuckled as she shook hands with Galatea and replied. "It is a little frightening, isn't it?"

Galatea smiled at Anna and said quietly. "No worries though, we five, are the only superhuman beings here that I can tell, though I am picking up impure thoughts from time to time."

Anna laughed and said gaily. "You've earned your nickname, "God eye Galatea" that's for sure."

Sheila's phone rang again, digging it out and flipping it open, Sheila said.

"We're in the dealer's room near the artist's alley and we're talking to your favorite author. That's where we are."

She listened for a moment and replied. "No, she's not real busy right now, we may have scared off her fans briefly, but they'll be back. So don't dawdle!"

Closing her phone again, Sheila commented drily. "Susana is on her way, so hide the breakables!"

Helen grinned and remarked. "Y'mean I've got competition? No way!"

Miria chuckled and said drily."Don't worry Helen, you're still the queen of crazy, no one will ever take your crown!"

Susana and Ralph soon emerged from the crush of bodies, she was literally bouncing with energy and was grinning from ear to ear.

"You wouldn't believe how many times I was asked to pose!" She cried happily.

Ralph commented drily. "What did she expect? She dug out her old cheerleader outfit, shortened the skirt a lot, tightened the top, practiced her old routines and brought her cute little self down here, to the land of men with big cameras. I may be her brother, but even I know she's a little hottie!"

Susana grinned and said brightly. "Y'know Sheila, we don't have any pictures of us together."

Sheila drew her blade and posed next to her diminutive friend while Ralph commented. "Damn! What a contrast, I've never really seen you two side by side before. Talk about the tall and the small!"

He snapped off a few shots then Anna Karlsen stepped forward and asked. "May I join you?"

Susana gasped and cried. "Oh God yes! That would be so cool!"

Anna stepped to Susana's right and Sheila stood on her left, the trio smiled and Ralph's camera snapped several more times.

Then some group photos with the rest of the former warriors were also taken.

Susana turned to Anna and gushed. "Thank you so much! I can't believe I posed with you just now. Wow! This has been such an amazing day!"

Anna chuckled and said. "You're certainly welcome, Susana. I am glad to see you up and about after your injury."

Susana stared at Anna for a moment, then she asked. "How did you know about my broken foot?"

"Sheila told me about what happened and how you broke your foot." Replied Anna.

Susana just gaped and Anna chuckled. "Sheila and I have become friends, we have a surprising number of things in common. I remembered you from Vroman's and Sheila told me what had happened. This is just my way of thanking you for your support."

Ralph muttered. "I am never going to hear the end of this. Her facebook page is gonna light up big time when we get home."

Anastasia was a bit fatigued, it was only the second day of the big AX 20xx anime and manga convention and she was booked for the entire four days.

She had signed countless autographs, sold almost all of the books she had brought for sale with her signature included and posed for photos with countless adoring fans.

In short, it was a roaring success!

Her only real break had been when Sheila and her fellow warriors had appeared and had unintentionally taken some of the pressure off of her by posing for a slew of photographers while she chatted pleasantly with Sheila's friend Susana.

The former warriors were quite impressive to Anastasia, their presence was almost overwhelming, particularly Galatea's, nearly as tall as Sheila, her beauty was almost otherworldly and her demeanor brought a calm peace to the crowd around themselves.

Even the most ardent fans asked permission to take a photo.

Miria had the air of a battle hardened commander, survivor of many a campaign and Helen was the playful one, the inveterate comedian and skillful fighter.

Anastasia gave each of them an autographed copy of her latest book as a gift.

The mature Asian woman approached her with a copy of her latest book and laid it on the table before her, Anastasia smiled at her and asked. "How would you like me to sign this?"

The woman smiled and said. "Just sign it, 'To Stephanie: best of luck on your next case!"

Anastasia grinned at her and dutifully signed her book with a flourish.

Handing her back the book, Anastasia asked. "Are you an attorney?"

"No." replied Stephanie, "I'm a medical examiner for the county of Los Angeles."

Anastasia's eyebrows went up and she grinned before asking teasingly. "And you read trashy vampire novels for fun?"

Stephanie replied with a grin. "No, not all of the trashy vampire novels, just the good ones!"

Anastasia smiled and said. "Oh? And what makes a good vampire novel to you? Just thought I'd ask."

Stephanie paused a moment and replied. "Ones that show thoughtfulness, that reveal the struggles a vampire has to deal with, keeping the urges in check, coping with the passage of the centuries, adapting to fit in and survive in a world become so complex. Not just badly written novels about underwear models feasting on lovelorn teenage girls."

Anastasia smiled at Stephanie and said warmly. "Thank you! You are exactly the reader I want to write for, not the followers of the latest trend. I write for the ones who will actually read and think about what I am trying to say."

Stephanie was about to respond when Sheila and her companions appeared again, Sheila said amiably. "We're gonna head home now, just thought we'd stop by and say 'thanks again' for the books and good luck with the rest of this madhouse!"

Anastasia smiled at Sheila and her friends, Stephanie glanced over at them and spotted Susana first, then she squinted at Sheila before declaring. "I know you two from somewhere!"

The two just looked at each other, then Susana cried. "I remember you now! You're that doctor who looked at my foot when that homeless guy jumped me and I blacked out."

Stephanie smiled slightly and said. "I see you're healed up enough to come here, wearing just that."

Susana just grinned and replied. "It's okay here, besides I've got my brother with me and if he can't handle it Sheila here can, just like she did with some guys who pulled a gun on us in Sherman Oaks."

"Oh?" asked Stephanie. "What guys that pulled a gun on you?"

Before Sheila could intervene, Susana blurted out. "It was about a year ago, we were out in Sherman Oaks near the Galleria, six guys stopped us and were hitting on us. When Sheila told them to leave us alone, their leader pulled out a small, shiny pistol and Sheila just knocked them all out in like two seconds."

"Really?" asked Stephanie. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" replied Susana defensively.

"Sheila squeezed the leader's gun hand real hard and he dropped it, then she just went into like 'Ninja Mode' or something and just laid them out. I called nine, one, one, told them what happened and we just left."

Stephanie looked thoughtful for a few moments, then she chuckled and remarked. "Well, that clears up that little mystery!"

Seeing the mystified looks on their collective faces, Stephanie added. "Van Nuys detectives thought the incident was a gang related beating. The 'victims' claimed it was superior numbers with baseball bats and the crushed hand had been stomped on. There was no mention of any gun. It seems the truth is even more embarrassing, a lone woman did it. That's hilarious!"

Stephanie smiled at all of them and said. "It has been a pleasure meeting all of you and I'd love to chat some more, but I've got a hot date tonight and he doesn't like waiting. Ciao!"

She turned to leave, stopped short, turned to Sheila and said. "Please be careful, Okay? You may be a giantess, but you are human and can get hurt."

Anastasia stepped forward and handed Stephanie a card, she smiled and said. "Let's keep in touch! I may want to pick your brain for writing ideas, I'll bet you've got some stories to tell."

Stephanie just laughed and said. "Oh yes, I could tell you stories!"

She dug in her purse briefly, pulled out a card, handed it to Anastasia and said. "This is how you can reach me anytime. Now, I really gotta go!" then she vanished into the crowd almost immediately.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I do not own Claymore

The smell of cooking woke Stephanie up, she lay snuggled in the covers and smiled to herself.

Steve Driscoll, her long time friend and lover had proposed marriage to her the night before.

She was going to marry!

Rising from her bed, Stephanie scratched herself idly as she entered the bathroom and started the shower.

Minutes later, Stephanie toweled herself off and pulled on her sweats.

"Steph?! Breakfast is ready!" cried a baritone voice from her kitchen, Stephanie cried back. "I'm almost there, pour me a coffee will you?"

After tucking into one of Steve's special breakfasts, they relaxed and sipped at their second cups of coffee.

Stephanie remarked, "You wouldn't believe who I bumped into yesterday at that anime convention."

"Who was it?" replied Steve impishly, "Sailor Moon? Or was it Haruhi Suzumiya?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and retorted. "No, smartass! I bumped into that little Filipina who was assaulted by that homeless guy, the one in the parking garage over in the Rampart district. And just how, did you know those names anyway?"

Steve grinned at her over his coffee and replied. "I've moonlighted as security detail for that convention several times now, once in awhile I'd arrest the guy with a big camera and a thing for little girls or a groper out copping feels. Mostly, it was walking around looking at the crowd."

"Okay, can we get back to the present?" asked Stephanie. "She was with that real tall blonde that came and got her and that blonde was with three other women who were almost exactly like her. The blonde that is."

Stephanie paused and asked. "Remember that gang incident out in Sherman Oaks about a year ago? The one where the leader got his hand crushed and they claimed it was another gang that did it?"

Steve looked thoughtful for a moment and said. "Yeah, I remember it now, Van Nuys division was on high gang alert for months after that little fracas. What does that have to do with this tall blonde or the little one?"

"Well, it seems that our tall blonde was the one who did it. The little one just blurted it out! The gang was bothering them and when big bird told them to go away, the leader pulled out a pistol, the big blonde squeezed his gun hand and then mopped the place up with them, the girl called nine, one, one and they left."

Steve looked at her for a long moment before he replied. "You believed this?"

Stephanie shrugged and replied. "Her story had all the right facts, it never got into the papers remember? I got a good look at that blonde, she is a real physical specimen. I had the impression that she was quite strong and highly trained, she moved like an athlete or a martial artist of a high degree. What's more, her friends also gave me that same impression."

Steve raised an eyebrow and Stephanie said quickly. "Now don't be going all 'homicide detective' on me now. I didn't think they were dangerous, I just had the impression they could've been into martial arts, they actually seemed very nice." "And just how did you just happen to 'bump into' these fine folks?" asked Steve.

"It all happened while I was talking to Anna Karlsen after she'd autographed my book for me. They just came up and started talking to her like they were old friends or something. I recognized the Filipina and the tall blonde from that night, it all just kind of snowballed from there."

Steve glanced over at the sideboard where the book in question lay on top, and remarked. "That answers my question about where you got that book from. So, how did the author strike you?"

Stephanie grinned and remarked drily. "My fiance, the cop, always with the questions."

Steve grinned back and retorted. "Well, my fiancee, the medical examiner, should have gotten an impression about the author I had suggested she go see, in the first place."

Stephanie smiled at him and replied. "I liked her, she seemed very nice. So we exchanged business cards and Email addresses." Then she set her coffee cup down, rose from her chair, came around to his side of the table and settled into his lap.

In a throaty purr she murmured, "And now my love, onto more important things..."

She started kissing him in that slow, unhurried manner of a woman bent on seducing her man.

Tony put down his pen and stared long and hard at the sheet of paper that had frightened him so.

Anastasia had advised him to write a letter of introduction to Henrietta Maria, the queen of the hidden realm.

He had never been much for any sort of writing, even a simple 'thank you' note was almost beyond him.

Now he had to write a letter to someone he didn't know and tell her that he had become one of her subjects.

His suggestion of sending her an Email was bluntly turned down, Anastasia had glared at him and said icily. "Even I, an elder, would never dare to send her a message of this importance in so casual manner. It is an important document. Absolutely not!"

That was his first taste of the power an elder had over a fledgling like himself, It was not an experience he wanted to repeat.

He shuddered involuntarily at the memory of her blue eyes suddenly glinting with hints of red and of his sudden paralysis in the grip of her psychic power.

Tony picked up the letter he had written so far and read it aloud to himself.

"Dear Henrietta Maria,

I am not very skilled at writing and have no desire to offend you, please forgive any mistakes I may make in this letter. My name is Anthony Hopkins, my friends call me "Tony".

Three years ago, I became one of your subjects, it was not by my choice.

She was more beautiful than any woman I had ever seen before and I regret that I can't tell you her name.

With everything that was happening at the time, the subject never came up.

I have managed to adapt to my new situation and have blended in apparently successfully. I met Anastasia Karloff last month and she is now my acknowledged elder, she has helped me to further stabilize my life by arranging access to a private blood bank for my monthly "Anemia Treatment".

I will admit that I would prefer to have my old life back again, I was born here and grew up at the beach and in the sunlight.

Anastasia has mentioned a way that I might be able to see the sunrise again, even if it is for only a short time.

Anastasia has also mentioned a tax that I am required to pay now and how I would be advised about it after I have sent this letter.

In my defense, I can only plead ignorance of your existence and of this tax as being the reason I had not paid it before.

Sincerely yours,

Anthony "Tony" Hopkins"

Tony laid the letter back down, Anastasia was coming by this evening and she had said she would look his letter over and help him 'polish it up' a bit if necessary.

There was a knock at his door, Tony glanced at the wall clock.

Anastasia was early, she'd mentioned midnight as being the time she would arrive and it was only 11:30 P.M.

He didn't feel any sensations like the one's he'd get when a stranger had bad intentions.

He opened the door as he said. "Hi! You're a bit early..."

There was a rushing of black clad figures, his arms were quickly pinned and he briefly saw and heard the crackle of an electric stun gun.

Pain, searing pain shot through his body, his legs gave way and he collapsed in a heap.

He lay on the carpeting, twitching from the effects of the stun gun's jolt.

Through tear filled eyes, Tony saw the figures crowd around him as he was trussed up.

"What d'you want?" He managed to say. "I don't have any cash or jewels."

A booted foot collided with his head and as the stars danced before his eyes, a voice growled. "We don't want you, you're just a fledgling. We want the elder and you're the bait!"

A strip of heavy tape was slapped across his mouth and he was turned on his side so he lay there, facing the front door to his house.

The voice spoke again. "Now we will wait, she'll turn up soon and then we'll deal with both of you at once!"

Tony wracked his brain, trying to figure out how he could possibly warn Anastasia of the danger they both were in.

"Don't bother trying to do a sending." said the voice with a derisive chuckle. "One of us is blocking your sending ability while the others will take her out."

At the stroke of twelve, the antique clock on his book case began tolling the hour.

Tony had meant to deactivate the chimes for when Anastasia visited, the noise was a distraction while she was teaching him how to use his developing powers, so he would shut them off.

The chimes tolled out the twelve bells of midnight and they waited for Anastasia to knock.

Ten minutes later she still hadn't knocked, Tony's hopes started rising.

Anastasia was adamant about punctuality and her being tardy meant she might've smelled a rat.

One of the black clad figures glanced at his watch, fifteen minutes had gone by since midnight had tolled, the masked face turned towards Tony and said menacingly. "The bitch is late! Did you warn her somehow?"

Tony shook his head in an emphatic "No!" The door creaked slightly, then it suddenly bulged inwards in an explosion of splintering wood and shattered hinges.

The room suddenly filled with deep shadows and a white clad slender shape with red eyes was seen within it.

"Who dares!" hissed the red eyed figure. "Who dares to disturb my territory and attack my underling?"

The leader of the black clad shapes leapt forward drawing a knife.

His hand suddenly fell off as a second, much larger shape emerged from the shadows.

In her hand was a massive gleaming sword, its edge red with blood.

The rest of the black clad figures shrank back as their leader groaned and held the stump of his right arm tightly to try and stem the bleeding.

In seconds, the fight was over and the unconscious assailants lay where they'd fallen.

Anastasia quickly knelt by Tony and said apologetically, "This might hurt a bit, sorry!" just before she ripped off the tape covering his mouth and cut his bindings.

Tony yelped a bit then grinned at the two. "Did I ever tell you, you're beautiful?" He asked as he stood up.

Sheila just grinned at him and said."I'll bet you say that to all the ladies who rescue you."

Anastasia looked over at the unconscious figures and said grimly. "Well, I guess you are going to learn about interrogating a Renfield tonight, instead of formal letter writing!"

"Renfield? You mean like the guy in the movie?" asked Tony, Anastasia smiled at him and replied. "Yes, like the guy in the movie. Renfields have some powers bestowed upon them by their masters and they are immortal after a fashion."

"A fashion? What sort of fashion?" asked Sheila.

"Renfields are created when a vampire gives blood to a human but hasn't taken any from that human. It's done by allowing the human to lick or drink the vampires blood. They become immortal but only as long as they can continue to ingest their master's blood, if the vampire dies, so do the Renfields."

Tony looked thoughtful and asked. "Your housekeeper, Maria. Didn't you give her some blood when you first met her? Is she a Renfield?"

Anastasia smiled and replied. "No, she isn't. She was badly injured when I met her, so to help her with her injuries. I gave her a 'Rose kiss', I bit my lip with my fangs and kissed her while she was unconscious. She got the healing power benefits without becoming a Renfield and she'll live a long healthy life. She'll see a century for sure, possibly more, but she's not immortal."

Looking over at the trussed up Renfields, Sheila jerked her thumb in their direction and asked. "What did these clowns want, by the way?"

Tony shrugged helplessly and said. "All they really said was that they wanted the "Elder" and I was just the bait. They weren't interested in a fledgling like me, though I have the feeling that I wouldn't have been left out when it came to the killing part."

Anastasia chuckled and said drily. "Oh yes, they certainly would have included you in "the killing part", the question is, who sent them and why?"

Sheila's phone rang suddenly, catching them all by surprise.

Flipping it open Sheila answered. "Yes? Galatea?! Yes, I'm fine! No, no, I'm with Anastasia and her underling Tony. Yes, she called me and said there was an emergency at Tony's house and to come at once, so here I am."

Sheila listened for a few moments and replied. "Anastasia's right here, did you want to talk to her? She can explain it better than I can."

With a smile, Sheila handed her phone to Anastasia. "It's for you!"

"Hi! Galatea? My underling was attacked tonight by some Renfields."

Anastasia began, "A Renfield is like a thrall to a vampire, the vampire controls them and has them do their bidding. Yes, exactly. Renfields can go out in the sunlight and protect their master while he or she lies helpless during the day."

She listened for a few moments and replied. "Me? Oh no, I've never had a Renfield, I don't need the problems."

" Tony? He's my underling because I am his nearest elder and he is a fledgling, I am instructing him in the things he needs to know in order to survive."

A few moments more of listening and she said. "Yeah, I think we've got it handled. When they wake up we'll ask them some questions and find out who sent them. Yes, I'll let you know as soon as I find out myself. Bye now!"

The leader of the Renfields woke up and Anastasia fixed him with her gaze, he froze and lay there locked in Anastasia's psychic grip.

She stood over him and said in a voice of coarse silk. "Who do you belong to? Why am I being targeted?"

The Renfield lay there silently, his eyes held captive by her gaze.

Suddenly, he clenched his jaw, shuddered and began spasming and foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolled back into his head and he expired without uttering a word.

Anastasia straightened up and stamped her foot in annoyance.

"Damnit! I hate it when a Renfield does that. Now we have to dispose of his body somehow."

She glanced over at Tony who was looking a bit paler than usual, "You okay Tony?" she asked.

Tony groaned, "Now what's going to happen? I can't call the cops on this, how could we ever explain it?"

He gesticulated wildly as he glared at the corpse, "This is nuts! Am I going to have deal with this kind of shit forever? I want out of this deal, oh man! We are screwed with a capital EFF!"

"Tony! Get a hold of yourself." Anastasia snapped, "You've got time to panic? You've also got time to figure out a solution. Now that we know they'll suicide before yielding up a name. We'll just have to sneak in the back way, so to speak."

Tony and Sheila briefly exchanged mystified glances, then Sheila asked. "Are you going to read their minds or something? Because that's the only "back way" I can think of."

Anastasia smiled and replied. " When a Renfield is made, they take on a small part of their masters mana or personal aura. Somewhat like youki I would imagine, anyway, enough of the science lesson!

"I can determine the master of these Renfields by reading that aural energy, copying it and then psychically probing their memories while they're still unconscious and unable to resist me."

Sheila nodded and remarked quietly, "I've read their auras and they all came from the same master, I don't know if that helps or not."

Anastasia grinned at her and replied, "Thanks! Now I only need to read one mind." She paused and asked out of curiosity, "Can you read a vampiric aura over a long distance, like Galatea?"

Sheila shook her head and said, "Out to about a couple of miles or so I can. Galatea can read across country, she knew I was with you two and something was up because my youki aura was elevated instead of being suppressed to almost nil."

"So that was why she called?" Anastasia queried.

"You betcha! Even after all this time, I'm still the youngest warrior and need looking after." replied Sheila with a hint of sarcasm.

Anastasia knelt down and turned one of the Renfields over onto his back, she lowered her head until her forehead pressed against the Renfield's forehead.

Again, Tony and Sheila exchanged mystified glances, after several minutes had passed, Anastasia sat up and shook herself, then she looked at the two of them and declared.

"These Renfields belong to Vladimir Orloff, we are in deep trouble here!"

Seeing the blank looks on both of their faces, Anastasia elaborated. "Vladimir Orloff is a very old and powerful vampire lord. Up until a couple of years ago, he was on the council of ten. Only Henrietta Maria could overrule their decisions. That, in a nutshell, is the vampire.

"A couple of years ago he turned a young man during one of his sexual escapades. This youngling turned up in my territory, left a few bodies lying about and I drove him out after giving him a stern warning about his actions. He later turned up in Henrietta Maria's primary territory, Romania. He ended up getting excised from the realm.

"Yes, vampires can get executed by their own kind, if the kingdom is in jeopardy."

"So, this vampire lord got the heat for this kid?" Asked Tony.

"In a word, yes." replied Anastasia, "His punishment was to be stripped of his seat in the council of ten, confiscation of most of his wealth and involuntary defanging, an excruciating procedure I'm told, they pull the fangs out by the roots without anesthesia, it's meant to be painful."

Tony absentmindedly tapped his own sheathed fangs and shuddered, then he asked."I'm guessing that somehow, you got the blame for his troubles and now he's after you?"

Anastasia frowned and replied, "God, I hope not. If he really is after me, we're screwed. My power is minuscule compared to his. One thing I do have in my corner is you, Sheila. Henrietta Maria knows about you and wishes to cultivate a cordial rapport with you and your sisters. I highly doubt any other vampire elder knows that I know you and younger ones will not have heard of claymores or awakened beings for that matter."

Sheila had looked thoughtful while Anastasia had spoken, then she said. "I'm not sure of how effective I'd be in a fight between vampires, killing one wouldn't be a problem for me. It's the 'which ones do I kill?' issue. Frankly? I'd prefer to stay out of your troubles. Although I can't speak for the others, they would have to give their own views on this. It's been centuries since any one of us bore arms against other supernatural beings or engaged in pitched battle.

"Jean came out of hiding when the English raped, sacked and burned the village she had lived in for centuries. She got out her claymore and went before the French king swearing vengeance for what the English had done, the king didn't take her too seriously at first, so she borrowed some armor, rounded up some troops and attacked the English army on her own. You'd know her as Joan of Arc."

Sheila fell silent at the memory of her friend and Anastasia gently squeezed her arm in condolence.

Tony spoke up,"You have a connection with the queen don't you? Couldn't you ask her for a little help here? What could it hurt to ask?"

Anastasia frowned, "I don't want her to think I can't handle myself. After all, I've been playing at being little miss independent for decades. Running home to momma would kind of spoil things, I could end up living out my years in one of her gilded cages.

"Believe me, I've got a standing offer from her to "come home" when I tire of roughing it."

She smiled and said, "I could just tell her that some of Vladimir's Renfields have gone rogue and may need rounding up. She can decide how she is going to react."

Anastasia glanced over at Tony's desktop PC and asked, "May I borrow that for a little while?"

Tony shrugged and said, "Sure,why not?" sitting down at his desktop, Anastasia opened a secret email account, typed out a long string of meaningless symbols, hit "search" and waited a few minutes, then she typed rapidly for a couple of minutes, paused to read her writing then hit "send".

"Well." she said, "We're in for it now! I sent an email to both Henrietta Maria and Vladimir Orloff, advising them that we have detained four of his Renfields, of which, three are still alive and whatever shall we do with them? Please advise."

A low moan escaped the lips of one of the Renfields, Anastasia stepped over to where he lay and knelt down next to him.

He opened his mouth to speak and she quickly stuffed a wash rag in his mouth, straightening up again.

Anastasia smiled at him and said sweetly, "Now you can't bite down on that cyanide capsule, you've hidden in a hollowed out tooth."

His eyes looked around frantically until he saw the corpse of his fellow Renfield. "Oh, don't you worry none, we know Vladimir Orloff is your master, I read your mind!"

His eyes took on a faraway look and he just lay there, utterly defeated, he already knew his fate.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I do not own Claymore

Tony stood looking around at the damage to his home, the doorway was now a gaping hole and he muttered. "This door has to be boarded up or something, you two weren't kidding when you came in. What did you use, a battering ram?"

Sheila shrugged and said, "I was behind Anastasia, she gathered the shadows and hurled them against the door."

"How did you know I was in trouble?" asked Tony.

"Simple!" replied Anastasia cheerfully, "I heard your mantle clock chiming. You always disable the chimes before I get here, I knew something had to be amiss and peeked in the window. Your "guests" had hidden their auras from me and had the clock not chimed, I would have walked into a trap."

Sheila added, "She called me and told me to meet her here ASAP, I live about a ten minute walk from here, I ran it in under a minute. I would've just come in swinging, but I didn't know exactly where you were in the house."

Tony grinned and said, "I'm glad you came, these guys were pretty scary. Well, I 've got some plywood out in my garage, we can board up the doorway with it."

A soft "Ping" came from Tony's computer, an email had just arrived.

He stepped over to it and accessed his account, a moment later he looked up at Anastasia and asked. "Do you know a Henry Marian?"

Anastasia elbowed Tony aside and opened up the email after she lifted the 'charm' placed on it.

A minute later, Anastasia looked paler than usual as she said. "Henrietta Maria has just informed me that she has taken an interest in this case and is already on her way here.

"She is also bringing Vladimir Orloff with her." She stepped away from the computer and felt behind her for the seat before flopping down into it.

Once again, Tony and Sheila exchanged mystified looks, Sheila asked. "Anastasia? Are you alright? Talk to me girl, what's going on?"

Anastasia shook her head and looked at them for a moment, then said. "The queen of the hidden realm is on her way here, knowing her, she is already in the air and probably well over Europe by now."

Seeing a lack of concern on their faces, Anastasia sighed and said grimly. "If Henrietta Maria is induced to leave her estate, it means someone could end up dying the real death. If she is bringing Count Orloff along, it means he will likely be punished swiftly and irrevocably."

Tony asked quietly, a tinge of worry in his voice. "Are we in any kind of trouble here? I mean, did we do anything wrong? Those guys jumped me when I opened the door, that's all I can say about it."

Anastasia shrugged and replied, "That is all you have to say, just the truth. Besides, you wouldn't be able to lie to her anyway and it would be suicide to try."

Sheila suddenly yelled, "Hey!" and she leapt on top of one of the Renfields, forced his mouth open, reached into his mouth and wrenched out a bloody tooth.

"I saw him stirring and was watching him, I had a feeling he'd suicide like his boss did, rather than talk." to emphasize her point she held out the bloody tooth, it was hollow and had a glass capsule inside it.

Without further discussion, Sheila stepped over to the last unconscious Renfield and pulled his hollow tooth as well.

Anastasia glanced over at the Renfield she had mind read and said, "Might as well pull his tooth too. That way, when the queen gets here she'll have more people to talk to."

Sheila grinned and replied, "Consider it done." she stepped over to him and said grimly. "That tooth's coming out regardless of your feelings about it. Resist me and I'll make it hurt even more!"

He clenched his teeth down on the washrag previously stuffed in his mouth and thrashed his head from side to side, Sheila sighed and said glumly.

"Why is it that no one takes me seriously?"

She curled up one finger and flicked the side of his head, there was hollow clopping sound and the Renfield slumped into insensibility once again.

Deftly, she removed his hollow tooth and stood back up, handing it to Anastasia.

"Now what do we do? Am I needed here if your queen is arriving soon?" She asked.

As if in answer to her question, Miria and Galatea appeared in the broken doorway to Tony's house.

Galatea smiled while Miria looked all business, "Hello!" said Galatea, "I felt quite the surge in your aura, Anastasia and thought; perhaps it was time we paid a visit."

Tony stood stock still in amazement until he smiled broadly and declared breezily, "I've died and gone to heaven! My house is full of beautiful women, if becoming a vampire is what it took, then hallelujah!"

Anastasia spoke sharply, "Sit Boy!" and he sat down on the floor immediately with a baffled look on his reddened face.

"Wh, What happened just now?" asked a very confused Tony.

"You were getting a little big for your britches, fledgling. So I asserted my authority." said a stern faced Anastasia.

Galatea chuckled and said to Miria, "Wouldn't the organization have liked to have had that power!"

Miria shrugged and remarked, "We wouldn't have survived training, our contrariness would've been spotted and we would have been eliminated somehow."

She smiled at Galatea and said, "Though I can think of a great number of times when that ability would've been useful."

"Yes, like some of the times Helen got a little too crazy or Clare went off on her own." Mused Galatea.

Sheila asked drily, "Did it occur to either of you that if they did have that ability, the organization would still be here and we wouldn't be?"

The mantlepiece clock chimed two times, Sheila remarked. "It's two A.M. Your queen isn't going to show up before dawn and there's a big hole in the doorway. Shouldn't we board it up somehow? Tony, you mentioned some plywood?"

Tony glanced at Anastasia and she nodded slightly, he leaped up, beckoned to Sheila and she followed him into his garage.

Once inside the garage Tony said quietly, "I didn't think she had that kind of power over me, when she said 'Sit boy!' it felt like a giant hand had pushed me down into a sitting position. I could not have refused her!"

Sheila chuckled and replied, "She's under a lot of pressure right now, with Henrietta Maria coming here so suddenly, and you ogling us like that probably touched a nerve. Once things have calmed down, she'll ease up a bit."

Tony got out his cordless drill and some drywall screws, he pointed at a partial sheet of plywood leaning against the wall and said. "Bring that, could you please?" Returning to the living room Tony and Sheila quickly put up the plywood sheeting and screwed it into place.

"There!" said Tony, "Now sunlight won't get in, we'll make sure all of the blackout curtains are closed and settle in for the day. I've never had to deal with royalty before and if her power is as much greater than Anastasia's as hers is greater than mine? Well, I'm going to play dumb and only speak when spoken to. I sure don't want to find out what the queen's version of 'Sit Boy!' is like."

Anastasia smiled and said "As long as you respect your elders, you'll be just fine and make sure you give her this, as soon as possible." She held up the letter Tony had been laboring over when the Renfields had barged into his house.

Tony looked abashed and said, "I was working on that when everything hit the fan earlier."

"It's a bit rough, I could polish it up but Henrietta Maria would spot my handiwork. You're better off giving her your own work than trying to impress her with flowery writing, it isn't you and she'll notice it." replied Anastasia as she handed him the letter.

Sheila stifled a yawn, stretched a bit and said, "I don't mean to be a killjoy but, I'm gonna go lay down a bit, get some coffee and rinse myself off at my house. I'm taking my old friends with me, we'll be back after dark tomorrow evening."

Tony grinned and said cheerfully, "Thanks for the help Sheila, you two really saved my ass earlier! We'll see you later."

Anastasia smiled and waved as they left, saying, "Leave your phone on just in case, okay?"

The late night barista at the local coffee house was happily showing the photos she had posted of herself at last month's animecon to one of her regular customers.

She had gone as a claymore warrior and was saying.

"Here's where we hooked up with the rest of the guys and were doing group poses." She rubbed her finger over the phone's face and said,

" These guys just showed up and OMG! They were so kewl! Their costumes and their looks were effin' perfect for cosplaying claymores."

The door to the coffee house opened and three men dressed in blue jeans and dark blue hoodies came in.

They stepped up to the coffee bar and when the barista went to take their orders, she found herself staring into a pistol barrel.

"Give it up and no one gets hurt." she heard spoken in a low voice.

Mechanically, she stepped over to the register and opened the cash drawer to gather up all the cash.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the door open and three blonde haired women came in, she heard one of the robbers shout. "Gimmee yo' money, bitches!"

Turning around, she saw the three women looking at the robber in amazement as he waved his pistol around and stuck it right in the shorter blonde's face.

Without hesitating, she slapped the pistol aside and cuffed the young man alongside his head, he fell as if he had been struck by lightning and a moment later, all three of them were stretched out on the floor of the coffee house and disarmed.

The tallest of the blondes smiled at the barista and said, "Hi! We'd like to get some coffee? To go please."

Minutes later, several police cruisers screeched to a halt right outside and disgorged their uniformed contents with guns drawn.

The barista pointed to the unconscious would be robbers, handed the arriving officer a paper bag with three pistols inside it and said.

"These belong to those guys, they tried to rob us."

Sergeant Thompson looked in the bag, glanced over at the somnolent forms and asked, "Who knocked them out?"

The customer who had called 9-1-1 spoke up, "Three blonde amazons came in during the robbery attempt and the next thing I knew, it was all over."

"What was all over?"

"The robbery attempt, it was all over in seconds."

"How did it start?"

"That guy right there," he pointed at one of the robbers, "Stuck a gun in her face."

"Whose face?"

"The barista. Then these three ladies came in and these two started waving their guns around."

He pointed at the other two robbers, "One of the ladies just slapped his gun away and knocked him out, the other two ladies knocked out the other two robbers. They ordered coffee to go and left just before you got here."

Sergeant Thompson looked in the paper bag again, glanced over at the still unconscious robbers and turned his eyes back to the customer and asked incredulously.

"So... That's what I get to write in my report? Some blonde amazons just walked in and slapped these guys around, then ordered coffee to go?"

The customer just shrugged and said helplessly. "Sorry chief, but that's just what happened, it's probably on the store cameras so you can see for yourself. Those ladies had to know some pretty serious martial arts to move so fast, I could hardly follow their moves and I've taken Karate!"

Officer Perez came in with the paramedics while saying to them. "Apparently, someone knocked these guys out with some sort of martial arts move. I need you to check them out before we take 'em in."

A few minutes later, the senior paramedic said. "They'll be okay to transport, none of them have concussions or anything. Who ever knocked them out, knew exactly what to do and just how hard to hit 'em."

Sergeant Thompson was looking over his report one last time when a thought occurred to him, following up on his hunch he pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number.

A few rings later he heard, "Driscoll here," he said, "Hey Steve! Thompson here, d'you remember that tall broad you were tellin' me about?"

"Which tall broad? There's a lot of 'em out here y'know." replied Steve Driscoll.

"Th' tall blonde one who kicked ass on those bangers who were botherin' honest folk in Sherman Oaks last year." said Thompson.

A moment later he heard, "Oh that, tall broad. Yeah, I know of her, Stephanie's met her too. Why? Is she in trouble?"

Thompson chuckled and replied, "Not as far as I'm concerned, apparently she and two of her friends interrupted a robbery attempt in a coffee bar. They just bitch slapped these wannabe's, got their coffee and left."

Thompson heard a chuckle and Steve replied, "Yeah, that kinda sounds like her. Stephanie got a real good look at her and her friends recently, she told me that they were real physical specimens and moved like highly trained martial artists."

Thompson replied, "I thought so, the store video shows the robbers waving their guns in these ladies faces and then POW! It was like a lightning strike, the guys were asleep and the ladies were ordering coffee. It was about the damnedest thing I've seen in my twenty years on the force!"

Before he hung up, Steve quickly added. "Hey Tommy? Could you do me a favor?" "Sure thing Steve," replied Sergeant Thompson, "What can I do ya for?"

"Would you mind asking the shop owner not to put that video you mentioned on youtube or anything, it's police evidence now, plus I think those ladies would like to remain anonymous."

"Roger that! Steve? Say hey to Stephanie for me. We'll have to invite you guys up to the cabin some weekend."

"You do that Tommy and say hey! To th' missus for me." Sergeant Thompson slipped his phone back in his breast pocket and went back to his paperwork.

Susana was squinting at her computer monitor, looking at the document for any mistakes or typos before she sent it off to be printed. The chiming of her cell phone jarred her, she'd forgotten it was on, she glanced at the number, pushed answer and said. "Sheila?... Why are you calling? Are you okay?"

Sheila replied, "Actually I'm great! I just wanted to let you know, I won't be coming to class tonight."

"Oh?" asked Susana, "I hope it isn't anything serious."

"Nah, I have some business with Anna Karlsen tonight and I can't just blow it off." declared Sheila.

Susana replied cheerfully, "Oh, okay! Say hi! To Anna for me could you?"

"Sure thing kiddo, I'll do that." said Sheila as she closed up her phone.

She glanced at Miria and said, "I thought I'd let her know I'll be a little busy tonight."

Miria shrugged and remarked, "I hope we don't end up being real busy tonight. With Henrietta Maria coming to town, it could get real interesting."

Galatea remarked, "This could be a real turning point in our relations with other supernatural beings. While we have never hunted vampires, we have hunted werewolves in the past because they came from yomas, and we stand ready in case of an awakened being outbreak."

"Let's not forget the abyssal Riful, wherever she may be." Sheila added.

Miria snorted and quipped, "It would take an airstrike to knock her out."

The trio nodded in agreement, an airstrike would take down an abyssal.

Modern day weapons were so deadly now, a warrior would stand little chance against a skilled adversary with a firearm at a distance.

Close in, they still had no equal, their skills, speed and strength were peerless.

Coming back from getting some sleep, freshening up at Sheila's house and getting coffee, the trio of former warriors were approaching Tony's modest house when Galatea muttered. "Heads up girls, we're being watched!"

Sheila asked, "Is it the guy in the phone company box van?"

Miria chuckled and said, "I'm betting CIA on the box van. Coffee's on me if I'm wrong."

Up ahead they saw Anastasia standing outside the house and talking to a bulky man wearing a dark suit, he reeked of 'security detail.'

Parked in front was a large Mercedes-Benz limousine with deeply tinted windows and a big, black van also with tinted windows.

Sitting inside the van were more bulky men in dark suits.

As they drew nearer, Anastasia smiled at them and said to her companion.

"They're okay, I can vouch for them, they were here last night and helped with the Renfields."

The man nodded at them as they came onto the property.

"She's here and would like to meet you." Anastasia said to the trio and led the way through the freshly repaired front door.

Entering Tony's home, they were a bit surprised to see Tony talking to a small, auburn haired woman seated on his couch while the Renfields and another pale man waited silently.

Standing on each side of the woman was a dark suited bulky man, their eyes hidden behind dark glasses.

Anastasia and the warriors paused and waited.

The small woman turned her attention to the warriors, smiled and said.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet with not one, but three warriors, I am Henrietta Maria and you are?"

Miria stepped forward, bowed slightly and said, "I am Miria, former number six and captain of the ghost squad."

She stepped back and Galatea stepped forward to bow and say, "I am Galatea, a former number three and one time nun in the Church of the Holy City of Rabona."

Lastly, Sheila stepped forward bowed slightly and said, "I am Sheila, I was a number forty seven when the organization fell."

Henrietta Maria smiled at Sheila and asked her.

"Would you be the same Sheila who killed the last full blood yoma in Romania?"

"Yes, I am that Sheila." answered Sheila.

The bulky man to her right tensed up and Henrietta Maria admonished gently. "Now, now Viktor, if she had wanted to kill me, none of you would be able to stop her and she was considered one of the weakest warriors. Miria here was known as the "phantom" for good reason, only Teresa is faster in a fight. Tell me Galatea, how long after I departed from my home, did you know I was coming here?"

Galatea smiled and replied. "I sensed a flare up in your aural signature right about the time you read Anastasia's email about the Renfields. Shortly after that, your aura started moving westerly at high speed, I surmised air travel from that."

The small woman smiled at Galatea and said, "Indeed! You do live up to your 'God Eye Galatea' appellation."

Galatea smiled and declared, "Your aura signature was not hard to detect your Majesty, it became so active shortly after Anastasia sent that email, that I could not help sensing it. Ordinarily, I do not pry into the affairs of the hidden realm. Usually, I only monitor my own kinfolk. Though lately, I've added Anastasia to the persons of interest list."

Miria asked, "Now that you are here your Majesty, may we ask what we can expect from this occasion? We've become involved because of Sheila and Anastasia's friendship, like it or not."

Henrietta Maria chuckled and replied, "Not much on diplomacy are you? You weren't here when we interviewed the Renfields, it seems they took it on themselves to track down Anastasia and planned out an assault by waiting for her to come and visit Mr. Hopkins. They had planned to murder her and Tony to exact revenge against Anastasia for her perceived role in their master's demotion and punishment."

She shook her head and said bluntly, "It was a doomed effort from the start. Firstly, Count Orloff did not blame Anastasia for his current situation and he would never have approved of an assassination attempt on a prominent and very public vampire. Even if the rest of the world remains ignorant of our existence and her true nature, her death and disappearance would have attracted unwanted attention."

Miria nodded and remarked, "Let's not forget that Anastasia has become chummy with a medical examiner for the county of Los Angeles and with one of my warriors, while it is not my place to choose the friends my warriors have. It is my duty as their captain, to intervene if I feel that our own true nature is in danger of becoming known."

"On that topic I heartily concur, Captain Miria." declared Henrietta Maria as she glanced at Anastasia, "I have a duty to my people, to protect and preserve the vampire race. Sometimes it is my painful duty to punish or even execute a vampire that is endangering our realm.

"In that regard, I answer only to my own conscience and make no apologies. As far as these Renfields are concerned, they will be taken back to Romania and dealt with there. We will be taking the body of their deceased leader with us for disposal."

Count Orloff seeing his opportunity, spoke up. "Miss Karloff, I would like to offer you my humble apologies and my assurances that these rogues will be dealt with severely. I do not hold you at all responsible for my demotion and punishment, they were entirely due to my own arrogance and folly."

He then bowed slightly towards her and she curtsied in return before replying. "Thank you Count Orloff, you have greatly relieved my anxiety. I could not imagine why you would wish me ill and am relieved that it was rogue elements amongst the Renfields and not, ill will from yourself."

Anastasia then curtsied towards her Queen and said, "Your Majesty, I am most grateful for your boundless tolerance of my little eccentricities. Many of my experiences in the outside world have been incorporated into my writings, and I humbly apologize if my actions have been cause for your concern. My house is far beneath what you are used to, nevertheless, you are most welcome to stay with me while you are here."

Henrietta Maria smiled at Anastasia, winked at Tony and said, "Anna dear, you needn't try to kiss up to me. Trust me, dear Anna, I would rather you told me straight what is going on with you than for you to try and puff hot air under my skirt, I get enough of that back home."

She turned to Tony and asked him, "Would you happen to have a spare bedroom I could stay in for the day tomorrow?"

Tony's eyes got very big and he blurted out, "I beg your pardon your Majesty, did you just ask me if you could stay the day tomorrow? I think my ears are playing tricks on me."

She smiled and nodded, "Yes, I did."

Tony stood up and said, "Of course your Majesty, you may sleep in my bedroom, my bed is brand new and I would be happy to sleep elsewhere. Wow!" he said, "The Queen is staying here tomorrow day and I can't tell a soul." as Tony bowed out of the living room to prepare his room for Henrietta Maria's stay.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I do not own Claymore

Henrietta Maria turned to Viktor and said. "Viktor, would you please invite our eavesdropper in for a little chat? I'm sure we'll have much to talk about." Viktor bowed slightly to his Queen, turned and beckoned to two more bulky men, then exited the house.

There was a brief interlude of eyes exchanging glances and questions forming when the front door opened again and Viktor entered with a rumpled man dressed in overalls right behind him and two more bulky men right behind the rumpled man.

"The Queen, will see you now!" Viktor remarked to the man, he had in one hand a broken cell phone and he gestured towards Henrietta Maria.

"Agent Bryce, Henrietta Maria, my Queen."

Agent Bryce stood fumbling with his hat for a moment, then he said.

"It's an honor to meet you, your Majesty, I hadn't figured on being invited in for a chat, I'm just a humble field operative for the Museum of Cryptozoology and not trained in diplomacy."

"Ah!" Said the Queen, "Your expertise is in snooping and prying into people's private affairs, particularly those of a head of state, is it not?"

Bryce flushed slightly and replied. "Guilty as charged, your Majesty. In my own defense, I plead guilty of being deeply interested in the existence of supernatural beings."

He glanced around the room and continued, "It's not often, a being out of legend and fantasy actually enters this country under cover of darkness and visits a quiet little neighborhood in Sherman Oaks, California. May I ask why?"

Henrietta Maria chuckled and replied pleasantly, "Agent Bryce, your lack of training in diplomacy is quite apparent, you're much too direct. A true diplomat could have dragged this out for another hour at least."

She smiled and continued, "I came here because rogue elements in my realm had decided on their own to attempt an assassination on one of my personal friends.

"I took it quite personally and came here at once, we have concluded our investigation and will be returning to our realm tomorrow night. If, that is all right with you?"

Agent Bryce smiled back at her and replied. "Far be it from me to interfere in matters of state, your Highness. I do find it most interesting that you have made the acquaintances of several other beings out of legend." and he glanced over at the warriors for emphasis.

Miria remarked cooly, "I was wondering when you were going to include us in this conversation, you do know that we have our own rights too, even if we don't officially exist and we will thank you to respect them."

Agent Bryce smiled at Miria and replied, "I am not here to spy on you and your sisters, we at the Museum are well aware of your existence, same as we are aware of the other supernatural beings hiding in plain sight.

"We just don't want any problems, we'll be the first to admit that humanity just isn't ready to know about you just yet. It might interest you to know that we have worked long and hard with Doctor Yuma to keep you hidden from society."

"And we do appreciate your efforts, agent Bryce." Interjected Galatea "Though some of us do wonder about the recent publishing of a Japanese manga series, the airing of an animated TV show and live action mini series all based on nearly forgotten legends about us. I admit to being a little concerned at how close to the truth, some of the stories actually are."

A soft chuckle came from Henrietta Maria and she said. "I share a similar concern. The recent popularity of vampire and werewolf themed literature and films, all putting a glamorous face on something that had been actively persecuted by officialdom for millenia."

She fixed her violet-eyed gaze on agent Bryce and continued, "These authors and producers don't seem to realize that we vampires are in truth, a predatory species and that humanity serves as our food source. We avoid killing our prey because it is counterproductive and leads to our being hunted by angry mobs. I admit that at times, an irresponsible vampire will turn a human unwisely," She glanced at Count Orloff and at Tony, briefly.

"We have dealt with these individuals accordingly and the rogue elements will be dealt with upon our return to the hidden realm."

Agent Bryce closed his eyes for a moment and then said, "We have been working with elements within both the hidden realm and with the claymores, it is partly our responsibility for the recent spate of novels, graphic novels and films, both live action and animated. The long term goal is to slowly raise the tolerance levels of human society to include supernatural beings as being acceptable in society much like homosexuality and transgendered individuals are becoming in today's societal norms."

He shrugged and remarked ruefully, "I don't think I will live to see it, but I'm fairly certain that all of you here will see it."

Henrietta Maria smiled at him and said softly, "When that blessed day arrives, we will be sure to acknowledge you and the many other humans who have worked on our behalf."

Agent Bryce smiled at her and replied, "I appreciate that, your Majesty and I would love to chat some more, unfortunately, duty calls and I simply have to go. We're extracting a lamia family from southern Algeria and I'm in charge of their eventual settlement here in the U.S."

Henrietta Maria's eyebrows rose perceptibly and she remarked, "We were not aware that any lamia's still lived, agent Bryce, I trust you will keep me informed of your progress?"

Agent Bryce grinned at her and replied, "I will do that your Majesty, in fact, I will send what information I already have pertaining to this family."

He took out a business card and handed it to Viktor who merely glanced at it before turning and bowing stiffly as he presented it to his queen.

She took the card and glanced at it for a moment before her violet eyed gaze returned to agent Bryce and she asked.

"World Wide News? Isn't that a tabloid filled with rumors and hearsay?"

"For the most part it is, your Majesty, but if the news item is on an odd numbered page, it is more than likely true. The articles on the even numbered pages are deliberate falsehoods. They also have a web page, if you enter the code number beneath my name on this card, a link will connect you to my page and my progress reports." replied agent Bryce.

He paused a moment to hand business cards to the warrior trio and he saluted everyone before he turned to leave.

Henrietta Maria spoke up suddenly. "Tell me agent Bryce, what is your interest in helping supernaturals?"

Agent Bryce looked straight at Henrietta Maria and replied earnestly. "That lamia family I mentioned? They're my relatives... I met their oldest daughter while I was investigating the legends coming from Algeria's remoter areas. Once I got over the shock of her being real, I soon discovered that she was as warm and wonderful a girl as I could ever wish for. We fell hopelessly in love with each other and I brought her home with me."

He smiled softly and said, "We've been married nearly five months now, we have a baby on the way and we're happier than ever. The Al Qaeda is moving into Algeria's remote areas and it is only a matter of time before her family is found and destroyed as monsters."

His voice became strident as he cried." I cannot allow that your Majesty, I just can't! They gave me their beautiful daughter and called me son, saving them is the least I can do!"

Henrietta Maria smiled at him and said in a commanding voice. "Go then agent Bryce, go with my blessings and woe to any supernaturals who hinder you in your quest! Go, I say!"

Her lace gloved hand rose and pointed straight out with a stiffened finger at the door to Tony's house.

Agent Bryce bowed deeply to her and said. "Thank you, your Majesty, thank you!" He turned and all but bolted from the house and into the night.

The warriors were a little amused to see both Anastasia and Henrietta Maria dabbing at their eyes.

Anastasia sighed deeply and said. "I didn't think romance like that existed anymore, he just put my best efforts to shame with his real life story. I feel very humbled right now and I really want a writing tablet to jot this down while it is still so fresh in my mind."

She looked up to see Tony standing beside her with a yellow legal pad and a couple of pens, he smiled at her and placed them in her hands while saying. "Will these do? My lady?"

Anastasia smiled and said. "These are perfect Tony, thank you!" She began rapidly jotting down notes, her hand flying over the yellow paper.

Henrietta Maria smiled and said to her, "When he gets back, will you interview him and write down what he says? A human and lamia marriage in this day and age is very romantic!"

She pulled out a small voice recorder and said quietly into it, "Look into instituting a "knights of the hidden realm" order for humans who perform a great service to us." Anastasia straightened up from her furious scribbling and declared. "I will do better than that your Majesty, I shall write a novel and you, shall be the first to read it!"

She rubbed her hands together and said with glee."This is such a goldmine of material, a human and lamia romance, it'll be unusual I admit, but oh, the possibilities. I don't even care if it sells, I just want to write it!"

Miria and Galatea glanced at each other briefly, nodded then turned to Henrietta Maria.

Miria smiled and said. "We have someone who is possibly, the world's best pilot and driver. I think she'll be willing to help agent Bryce."

Miria held up the business card he'd given her and declared. "I will call this Rachel Thompson person and make arrangements to lend a hand."

Henrietta Maria smiled and declared. "We shall provide financial support for this and can provide a jet for the flight. A medium sized Gulfstream should be sufficient." Miria nodded and said. "Helen is qualified for business class jets, a Gulfstream will be perfect."

Tony raised his hand and queried. "Helen?"

Miria replied, "Helen Larsen, she is one of us former warriors."

Tony grinned and remarked, "I've heard of her then, if she is the same Helen Larsen who's dominated rally car racing and won the Paris-Dakar six times. She drives like there is no tomorrow!"

Galatea chuckled and said. "That sounds like our Helen! A drive with her is not to be forgotten easily." Tony smiled and said. "I'd love to get her autograph!"

Miria grinned at him and remarked. "I'll be sure to tell her then, that she has an admirer!"


End file.
